Sistema composto de poliestireno: uma alternativa para tratamento de águas residuárias

Abstract

Accelerated population growth has worsened the water scarcity crisis, imposing substantial pressure on available water resources. In this challenging context, water treatment technologies emerge as problematic solutions to mitigate the impacts inherent to insufficient water resources. Researchers are seeking advanced solutions to meet growing water demand, developing technologies such as reverse osmosis, membrane filtration and electrochemical disinfection. These methods stand out for their effectiveness in removing impurities, pathogens and impurities, ensuring safe water for human consumption. In addition to ensuring the supply of drinking water, these modern technologies for the preservation of water resources and the mitigation of environmental impacts. The use of polystyrene as a filter medium in polluted water plays a significant role, providing a porous surface for the efficient retention of impurities and unwanted particles. The study aimed to evaluate and improve a pilot system for the treatment of wastewater destined for agriculture. The system consists of a tubular reactor with a polystyrene bed of mixed particle size. Evaluations were carried out considering different particle sizes of the filter bed, varying flow rates and times. The reactor operated in dead-end mode and, in a series system, treatments were timed without recirculation, with theoretical residence times between 180 minutes and 360 minutes. The study consisted of two phases. In the first, the system was optimized and the filter bed was characterized through the distribution of spheres of mixed particle size. Washing and maintenance were carried out over 360 minutes, maintaining a flow rate of 0.5L/min. In the second phase, the performance of the reactor in treating wastewater with different concentrations was evaluated, using flow rates of 0.5 L/min and 1 L/min for 180 minutes. Under the best conditions of phase I, around 55% inactivation of Escherichia coli and 55% turbidity were achieved, not meeting the potability standards required by legislation. In Phase II, efficiency in the removal of several parameters was observed: 78.26% of COD; 75% Total Phosphorus; 73.42% Nitrate; 73.13% Ammonia; 69.33% Nitrite; 70.83 of Potassium; 68.75% Sodium and 98.32% inactivation of Escherichia coli, meeting the standards defined for integrity in Classes 2 and 3 of CONAMA.