EFFECT OF SUSPENDED SOLIDS FROM DISINTEGRATED TOILET PAPER IN WASTEWATER ON THE BEHAVIOR OF BIOREACTORS WITH IMMOBILIZED BIOMASS

Abstract

In tourist resorts, toilet paper is often flushed down toilets, leading to the formation of large amounts of suspended solids in the wastewater. In this study, an experimental evaluation of the effect of suspended solids from the disintegration of toilet paper on the performance of aerobic reactors with immobilized biomass and submerged bed, as well as the effectiveness of the coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) process, was carried out. for the removal of solids before the biological reactor. Two reactors were used, each one had a total volume of 109 L with three zones: an internal one where the packing is installed, another peripheral one where the particles settle, and a conical bottom where the sludge accumulates. One CFS system was installed before the first reactor and the other was directly fed with raw water. The packaging was made of polyethylene tape, cut into strips inserted on a vertical axis and had a specific area of ​​1,098 m2 m-3. It was determined that the TSS in the residual water, of 2,000-15,000 mg L-1, cause problems of clogging of the bed, gradually deteriorate the degradation process, inhibit the nitrification process and cause the collapse of the process, for which they must be be removed from the water and the CFS process can be successfully used for this purpose. Suspended solids concentrations of 328±244 mg L-1 do not impair the performance of the bioreactors and by applying an organic load of 1.8 gCOD•m-2•d-1 and a hydraulic residence time of 33 h, organic matter can be removed simultaneously and total Kjeldahl nitrogen, of 95.6±3.8% and 78.3±8.3%, respectively.