Mulch tower treatment system. Part I: Overall performance in greywater treatment.

Abstract A mulch tower (MT) system for greywater treatment is introduced in this paper. Materials used to assemble the MT system included mulch, coarse sand, fine and coarse gravel. Limited removal efficiency of the MT system was demonstrated for alkalinity, total hardness, pH, Cl – , PO 4 3– , NH 4 + , and SO 4 2– , with the estimated cumulative removals ranging from 7 to 12%. Intermediate removal efficiency was observed for chemical oxygen demand (COD), NO 3 – , and S 2– with the estimated cumulative removals ranging from 24 to 28%. The highest removal efficiency was observed for the total suspended solids (TSS) with the estimated cumulative removal equal to 52%. Given the minute residence time in the MT system, the results obtained were promising and justify scale-up studies for potential on-site applications. The MT effluent did not meet hygienic norms with respect to the faecal coliform concentration (FC) and the total coliform concentration (TC), and further effluent treatment is required before any discharge or reuse of the treated greywater. Further research should focus on characterisation of the microbial community of the MT, and the fate of Cl – , PO 4 3– , NH 4 + , and SO 4 2– .

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