Municipal wastewater reuse in agriculture by an innovative reactor with low environmental impact

The water availability is becoming limiting in several European Countries. Agriculture represents the main water user therefore the reuse of wastewater in agriculture could provide a valuable increase in freshwater resources for other needs. A plan for an effective wastewater reuse should be based on compact delocalized treatment plants located in the same area where water has to be reused. Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor (SBBGR) technology could deal with this requirement. This system is characterized by excellent treatment performances in removing organic pollutants, suspended solids and nitrogen. However these parameter couldn't ensure a safely wastewater reuse because water could still contain microbial pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of raw domestic sewage treatment by SBBGR for agricultural reuse. Particular attention was dedicated to microbiological quality of water monitoring a wide group of microbial indicators (total coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella, C. perfringens, Somatic coliphages, G. lamblia and C. parvum). The possibility of SBBGR enhancement with physical and chemical disinfection processes was also evaluated.