Tratamento de águas amarelas em leitos de percolação intermitentes em série.

Abstract

This paper describes nitrification results in two laboratory scale systems treating yellow waters, monitored between 24th April and 4th September 4, 2014, in the Sanitation Laboratory of the Academic Unit of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande City, Paraíba state, northeastern Brazil. Both systems were made up of three percolators, two in parallel and a third one in series. In system 1, percolators in parallel were filled with sand and the percolator in series with activated carbon. All percolators in system 2 were filled with activated carbon. The application rate of diluted urine was 100 L.m-2.d-1, in experiment I, and 200 L.m-2.d-1, L.m-2.d-1, in experiment II, and the average inflow concentrations of TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen) were 551.3 mg N.L-1 and 706.6 mgN.L-1, respectively. In the first experiment nitrate effluent concentrations were 250 mg N.L-1 and 317.1 mg N.L-1 for systems 1 and 2, respectively. In the second experiment nitrate effluent concentrations were 304.2 mg N.L-1 and 458.6 mg N.L-1 for systems 1 and 2, respectively. The sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) indicated that these effluents can be reused in hydroponics. Activated carbon beds showed a better nitrification performance than those of sand.