Bio-rack Settler for Treatment of Domestic Wastewater

The bio-rack wetland system is a recently developed natural method of treating wastewater. Various modifications are possible in the bio-rack wetland to enhance its performance. In the present study, a newly configured bio-rack is developed. It consists of a vertical followed by an inclined bio-rack system and is vegetated with Typha Angustifolia L. The inclined portion acts as a settler and biological reactor. The developed system was operated sequentially in batch and continuous modes of operation to treat domestic wastewater. The Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) used was 17 and 7 h for batch and continuous modes, respectively. The operation simulates a typical intermittent flow from sources of wastewater generation. After 6 weeks of operation, preliminary results show that the COD removal efficiency was 30% and 35% in continuous and batch modes, respectively. The suspended solids removal efficiency was 38% for continuous mode and 58% for sequential batch mode. The system was found to be more appropriate for the removal of decayed roots in the bio-rack system.