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Impact of bioclogging on peat vs. sand biofilters

M. Mostafa and Paul J. Van Geel
Impact of bioclogging on peat vs. sand biofilters (in Organic materials used in agriculture, horticulture, reconstructed soils, and filtering applications, Jean Caron (prefacer), Robert Heinse (prefacer) and Sylvain Charpentier (prefacer))
Vadose Zone Journal (June 2015) 14 (6)

Abstract

Biological clogging of unsaturated soils is an important process that can lead to the development of a biomat and failure of biofilters used to treat various wastewater streams. Septic beds and peat filters used to treat septic tank effluent are important applications. Several conceptual models have been developed to simulate clogging in saturated soils; however, limited effort has been conducted to develop similar models for unsaturated soils. Different conceptual models have been proposed to simulate biological clogging in unsaturated systems. These models include the impacts of biomass growth on the relative permeability term for unsaturated flow, but limited experimental data have been used to validate these models. In this study, column experiments were conducted to study the clogging process in loose and dense peat, filter media sand, and septic bed sand. Experimental data indicated that the pore structure of the peat, in comparison to two commonly used sands for septic drainage fields, allowed the biomass to distribute itself over a greater depth within the peat biofilter and delayed the formation of a biomat at the surface and eventual clogging of the filter medium.


ISSN: 1539-1663
Serial Title: Vadose Zone Journal
Serial Volume: 14
Serial Issue: 6
Title: Impact of bioclogging on peat vs. sand biofilters
Title: Organic materials used in agriculture, horticulture, reconstructed soils, and filtering applications
Author(s): Mostafa, M.Van Geel, Paul J.
Author(s): Caron, Jeanprefacer
Author(s): Heinse, Robertprefacer
Author(s): Charpentier, Sylvainprefacer
Affiliation: Carleton University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Affiliation: Universite Laval, Soil Science and Agrifood Engineering Department, Quebec, QC, Canada
Published: 201506
Text Language: English
Publisher: Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, United States
Number of pages: 9
References: 35
Accession Number: 2015-093542
Categories: Soils
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Illustration Description: illus. incl. 4 tables
Secondary Affiliation: University of Idaho, USA, United StatesAGROCAMPUS Ouest-Centre d'Angers, FRA, France
Country of Publication: United States
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2017, American Geosciences Institute. Abstract, Copyright, Soil Science Society of America. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States
Update Code: 201540
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