TERTIARY WASTEWATER TREATMENT: MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AFTER ORANGE BIOCHAR FILTRATION

Abstract

The growing global water supply problem, due to the depletion of groundwater aquifers and the declining quality of available water, has led to a search for alternatives for the reuse of domestic water for non-potable purposes. However, wastewater is often subject to the risk of pathogens and infectious agents that present major concerns for the health and safety of the population. Therefore, this paper analyzes the efficiency of a tertiary wastewater treatment consisting of charcoal produced from orange pomace, and performs a microbiological analysis to evaluate the possibility of reuse in agriculture. That said, the microbiological study highlighted the significant improvements found in the effluent after tertiary treatment, enabling a removal of 99.07% of thermotolerant coliforms with biochar and 92.22% with commercial charcoal.