Development and adoption of wastewater treatment system for peri-urban agriculture in Multan, Pakistan
Rana Muhammad Asif Kanwar, Zahid Mahmood Khan, Hafiz Umar Farid
Water Science & Technology
Urban Farm DB summary
A study in Multan, Pakistan, assessed the feasibility of biological treatment for a typical wastewater stream using daily trends in wastewater characteristics and designed a wastewater treatment (WWT) system for it. Parameters including pH (5.8-6.2), temperature (24-30°C), and BOD5 (128-265 mg/L) supported biological treatment; including nitrogenous BOD indicated a need for nitrification-denitrification, and linear regression of volatile suspended solids against total suspended solids showed high organic solids content suited to biological treatment. A BOD/COD ratio below 0.8 indicated a need for biomass acclimation. The designed system's major units were a primary clarifier, cascade aeration, trickling filter, adsorption filter, and chlorination contact tank. Over a 15-week validation period of the secondary WWT system, removal reached 91% for TSS, 46% for TDS, 88% for BOD5, and 87% for COD. The developed system was concluded to be an appropriate sustainable WWT system, with lower energy consumption and operating costs.