Enhanced Onsite Treatment of Domestic Wastewater Using an Integrated Settler-Based Biofilm Reactor with Efficient Biogas Generation

Surya Pratap Singh, Meena Kumari Sharma, Shatrudhan Pandey (), S. M. Mozammil Hasnain (), Fahad M. Alqahtani and Faisal M. Alessa
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Surya Pratap Singh: Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur 303007, India
Meena Kumari Sharma: Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur 303007, India
Shatrudhan Pandey: Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, India
S. M. Mozammil Hasnain: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Usha Martin University, Ranchi 835103, India
Fahad M. Alqahtani: Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
Faisal M. Alessa: Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: The growing population and increasing urbanization have led to a surge in domestic wastewater generation, posing significant challenges for effective and sustainable treatment. The present study demonstrates a novel and sustainable approach for the onsite treatment of domestic wastewater using an integrated settler-based biofilm reactor (ISBR) with efficient biogas generation. The ISBR provides an optimized environment for the growth of biofilm, facilitating the removal of organic pollutants and pathogens. Moreover, the ISBR enables the recovery of a valuable resource in the form of biogas, thus enhancing the overall utility of the treatment process. The performance of the ISBR was comprehensively evaluated at laboratory scale through treating the actual domestic wastewater generated from the hostel of Manipal University Jaipur. The ISBR system was operated under an ambient environment at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h. The results demonstrated remarkable efficiency in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and coliforms removal, with average removal efficiency being more than 90%. According to the COD mass balance analysis, 48.2% of the influent COD was recovered as bioenergy. The chromatogram revealed a high percentage of methane gas in the collected biogas sample. The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis of the accumulated sludge in the ISBR system depicted the morphology of methanogenic bacteria. Both the experimental and theoretical results confirmed the feasibility and sustainability of the ISBR system at the onsite level.

Keywords: anaerobic treatment; bioenergy; domestic wastewater; gas chromatography; mass balance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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