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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Nutrient and Microbial Reduction Properties in Pervious Composites for Blackwater Treatment
Author(s)
Peter Owusu-Antwi, Richard Buamah, Isaac Slase Kuwornu, Helen Essandoh
Esi Awuah
Kweku Akuam Anno
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DOI:10.17265/2328-2185/2017.03.006
Affiliation(s)
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
University of Energy & Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana
Biological Filters & Composters Limited (BIOFILCOM), Accra, Ghana
ABSTRACT
The focus of this experiment was to compare the treatment performance of nutrient
and microbial reduction in granite (GR), shredded polyethylene terephthalate (SP)
and palm kernel shell (PKS) composites after solid/liquid separation of blackwater.
Laboratory tests were conducted on replicated specimens of the GR, SP, and PKS pervious
composites and the mechanisms of microbial reductions and nutrient transformation
in blackwater treatment investigated after filtration. Six cylindrical specimens
measuring 110 mm × 100 mm and made from the GR,
SP, and PKS were used to determine the physical and hydrologic properties (density
and permeability) of the specimens. Additional six pervious specimens measuring
0.3 m × 0.3 m × 0.05 mm were used for the solid/liquid
separation of blackwater. Blackwater was first infiltrated through a layer of coir
fibre and net lining and then run through each pervious composite specimen. Nutrient
(ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) and microbial
(Escherichia coli and coliforms) analyses were conducted on the effluent from the
specimens and compared. The GR, SP, and PKS particle sizes were seen to be uniformly
graded and similar. The composite specimens did not have significant effects on
the nutrient transformations and removal of organic matter but for total phosphorus.
However, escherichia coli and other coliforms’s growth were limited in the SP. Hydrophobic
interactions between the SP composite and microbial cells of the microbes could
have promoted attachment and limited their growth. It was observed that the mean
pH in the effluent filtered through the composites was higher than in the influent
partly due to the availability of calcium carbonate in the cement. The study suggests
that the SP composite is a promising alternative to the GR composite for the reduction
of microbial constituents in blackwater vis-a-vis its light-weight compared to the
other pervious composites.
KEYWORDS
Biofil, removal efficiency, solid/liquid separation, vermicomposting, PET composite
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