Treatment of urban wastewater by coupling planted filters with anodic oxidation process

ABSTRACT The wastewater reuse strategy has the advantage of providing an effective resource to reduce water deficits, protect natural resources and alleviate future water shortages caused by climate change. In many arid and semi-arid regions, water reuse provides the majority of irrigation water, which is why appropriate treatment techniques are needed. These include planted filters, with restricted reuse of agricultural treated water. The main innovation is therefore to develop a new technique with reduced operating costs and increased efficiency for wastewater treatment that can be used in different sectors (household, industrial, washing centers…). The current work aimed to assess the performance of coupling planted Filters with anodic oxidation on platinum to remove contaminants and pathogens from urban wastewater effluents. To evaluate the efficiency of this hybrid process, urban sewage was first treated by filters planted with reeds, then by anodic oxidation on platinum using photovoltaic panels. Results showed that this treatment system allows a complete elimination of organic matter, ammonium nitrogen, and pathogenic bacteria. Removal rates were ~ 100% for COD, ~100% for BOD, ~100% for NH4 +, 93.24% for NO3 −, and ~100% for TC, FC, and FS. Due to the satisfactory performance, treated water can be reused without restriction in different sectors.