North-East Syria: Plant-based greywater treatment

North-East Syria: Plant-based greywater treatment

Much wastewater in northern Syria ends up in rivers, whence it is extracted for use in agricultural irrigation. The uncontrolled discharge of wastewater and its subsequent use in agriculture is often a cause of disease and affects the ecological systems of the rivers. If properly treated, the wastewater could be made safe for agricultural use.

For smaller communities in northern Syria we are planning a vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland to purify the accuring greywater (wastewater from sinks, showers etc.) which is separated before from the blackwater (wastewater from toilets).

Our concept comprises a soil filter covered with vegetation and mechanical preclarification with a multi-chamber sedimentation pit and a grease separator.

Mechanical preclarification

In the first cleaning stage, a two chamber sedimentation pit is used for pre-cleaning.

The cleaning principle works here mechanically by floating-up and lowering processes so that solids and fats are separated from the water.

Overgrown soil filter

In the soil filter, the wastewater is purified biologically by microorganisms through aerobic metabolic processes. The pre-cleaned waste water is distributed through pipelines and then seeps down through the soil filter. The filter body is constructed in different layers from bottom to top and consists of non-cohesive, washed sands and gravel with defined particle size distributions.

After this second cleaning stage the wastewater is purified to such an extent that it can be used for irrigation or discharged into receiving waters.

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