A SUSTAINABLE MUNICIPAL WASTE-WATER TREATMENT PROCESS FOR TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL REGIONS IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

In this paper, a feasible municipal wastewater treatment process, usin g the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) or the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) as an anaerobic pre-treatment system, and the reed bed o r the stabilization pond with supporting media as a post-treatment sys tem, is presented and discussed. Results obtained in pilot-and full-sc ale treatment plants clearly reveal that the anaerobic treatment is in deed a very attractive option for municipal wastewater pre-treatment a t temperatures exceeding 20C in tropical and subtropical regions. The UASB system has been commonly employed as an anaerobic pre-treatment s ystem. The ABR provides another potential for the anaerobic pre-treatm ent. The effluents from the anaerobic treatment system should be post- treated to meet discharge standards. Because of the advantages of the reed bed system when it is employed for tertiary treatment, this syste m could be considered as a post-treatment system. Another cost-effecti ve system, the stabilization pond packed with attached-growth media, i s also a potential post-treatment system. (C) 1997 IAWQ. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.