Abstract

Domestic wastewater is more and more regarded as an important water resource in particularly arid climate areas. Development of cost-effective reclamation techniques will stimulate the usage of this potential resource. CORETECH is aiming to develop such techniques, making a direct link between wastewater treatment and agricultural production, and in the mean time studying the impact of the water quality on the agricultural production systems (including soil and health risks). The core technology for BOD removal will consist of an anaerobic treatment step avoiding any energy demand. This will be followed by appropriate post-treatment for meeting reuse criteria. Based on the effluent criteria, the most suitable water distribution/irrigation system will be researched coupled to agricultural production systems. In addition, a bottom-up approach will be followed in which the agricultural demand sets the effluent criteria and, consequently, the specifications for the treatment system. The advantage of the latter approach is that a low-grade application (e.g. cotton production, trees, and animal fodder) will require only a plain, low-cost technique.

Objectives

To integrate sanitary engineering with environmental and agricultural engineering for a cost-effective optimisation and safe usage of the limited water and nutrient resources in the region.

1. Development of the most suitable on-site and community on-site sanitation and treatment systems: i) separation of black and grey wastewater in areas where so far no, or limited, sanitary services are available and ii) the decentralised treatment of locally produced sewage in small treatment plants.
2. Development of appropriate irrigation / fertilisation methodologies coupled to the (community) on-site treatment systems.
3. Selection of the most suitable agricultural crops, including the cropping pattern, to be grown on the treated sewage, taking into consideration the pathogen, salt, and nutrient content of the treated effluent and the crops’ economic value.
4. To study the environmental impact of the usage of treated sewage on the soil and underground water reservoirs with regard to the fate of micro pollutants.

To assess and develop improved methods for the identification and enumeration of various kinds of pathogenic organisms

Van Lier, J.B. and G. Lettinga (1999). Appropriate technologies for effective management of industrial and domestic wastewaters: the decentralised approach. Wat. Sci. Techn. 40-7: 171-183.