Performance of slow sand filters in the after-treatment of effluent from Pernambuco state textile center

Abstract

Jean laundering generates significant effluent flows with a high organic load, color, and other pollutants, making it difficult to adjust effluent releases within legal limits. Slow Sand Filters (SSF) with downflow were tested for seven days (bench scale), to propose an after-treatment of effluents from an Effluent Treatment Plant of a jean laundry. The research evaluated the removal of the following parameters: color, turbidity, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, conductivity, ammonia, total phosphorus and salinity of the textile effluent. The experimental apparatus had four SSF: the first filter was fed with distilled water, while the other three filters (triplicates) were fed with effluent. The filters had, on average, the following removal efficiencies: 91% for ammonia, 61.24% color, 89.43% turbidity, and 83.54% for phosphorus. Regarding the removal of organic matter, 98.11% for BOD and 81.17% for COD, demonstrating that SSFs were efficient in removing particulate, dissolved materials and organic matter.

Keywords

• bod
• color
• dissolved oxygen
• salinity
• soil column