Performance of anaerobic filters using plant sponge as support Material in the swine wastewater treatment

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of anaerobic filters using vegetal
bush as a support material, in comparison with anaerobic filters containing gravel, in the
treatment of swine wastewater. The experiment was carried out in a randomized completely
design, with 2 treatments (gravel and bush), 3 replicates , in split plot. The filters were operated
with upflow, with a capacity of 5.1 L each and a hydraulic holding time of 12 hours. In order
to evaluate the efficiency of the filters, turbidity, total solids, suspended solids, total nitrogen
and Biochemical Oxygen Demand tests were performed on the affluent and the effluent of the
filters, every 7 days (3 months ).The anaerobic filter containing bush cuts showed similar to the
filter containing gravel in the removal of most of the evaluated attributes, being an alternative
for the treatment of swine wastewater.