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Published on: May 15, 2017
Virus removal within a soil infiltration zone as affected by effluent composition, application rate, and soil type
Sheila Van Cuyk1, Robert L Siegrist
1Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA. svancuyk@lanl.gov
Water Research
|September 12, 2006
Summary
Virus removal in onsite wastewater systems improves over time. Higher hydraulic loading rates and sandy loam soil enhance virus removal, while septic tank effluent quality is crucial for effective pathogen reduction.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Wastewater Treatment Engineering
- Soil Science
Background:
- Onsite wastewater systems rely on soil infiltrative surfaces for effluent treatment.
- Biomat formation at the infiltrative surface impacts virus removal efficiency.
- Understanding virus removal dynamics is critical for public health protection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate virus removal in simulated infiltrative surfaces of onsite wastewater systems.
- To evaluate the influence of effluent quality, soil type, hydraulic loading rate, and application method on virus removal.
- To assess virus removal over time in unsaturated soil columns.
Main Methods:
- Column studies using MS-2 and PRD-1 bacteriophages as virus surrogates.
- Simulated drainage with a vacuum manifold to collect percolate samples.
- Varied application of septic tank effluent (STE) or simulated groundwater, soil types (sand, sandy loam), hydraulic loading rates (5, 25 cm/day), and application frequencies.
- Two tracer tests conducted to monitor virus removal.
Main Results:
- Virus removal generally improved over time in the infiltrative surface zone (4 cm).
- Higher hydraulic loading rates (25 cm/day) and sandy loam soil improved virus removal (especially for PRD-1).
- Septic tank effluent quality significantly impacted MS-2 and PRD-1 removal; sandy loam showed better PRD-1 removal.
Conclusions:
- The infiltrative surface of soil-based wastewater treatment systems can achieve significant virus removal, improving with operation time.
- Hydraulic loading rate and soil type are key factors influencing virus removal efficiency.
- Effluent quality is critical for effective virus removal in these systems.
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