Swine wastewater treatment by media filtration

A media filter was constructed to treat swine wastewater after anaerobic lagoon treatment. The media filter consisted of a tank (1.5-m-diameter x 0.6-m-height) filled with marl gravel. The marl gravel had a carbonate content of 300 g kg-1. Gravel particle size distributions were 85 and 14% in the 4.7- to 12.7-mm and 12.7- to 19-mm size classes, respectively. Pore space of the filtration unit was 57%. Wastewater flow rate was 606 L m-2 d-1, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) load was 198 g m-2 d-1. The media filter removed 54% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) content after one cycle, but increased cycling did not produce additional COD reduction. Total suspended solids (TSS) removal after one cycle was 50% of initial levels, and additional cycling reduced TSS levels at a much lower rate of 7% per cycle. Removal efficiencies for total phosphorus (TP) ranged from 37% to 52% (one to four cycles), but long-term phosphorus removal would be limited by the sorption capacity of the gravel. Up to 24% of TKN was converted to nitrate-plus-nitrite-N (NO3+NO2-N). Effluents with high NO3+NO2-N levels can be treated further for denitrification with constructed wetlands or anaerobic lagoon. This is important in cases where land is limited for wastewater application.