Elimination of Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Domestic Wastewater through a Series of Anaerobic and Aerobic Reactors for a Developing Country like Benin

Abstract

Waste water treatment in order to preserve water resources is one of the major concerns in developing countries. This study aims to test the operating effectiveness of a pilot designed on a basis of several laboratory experiments, which consists of an anaerobic and aerobic pond in series. The test was performed through monitoring global parameters of pollution. The results of the analysis of these parameters indicate an elimination of 91% of suspended solids, 68% of COD, 77% of BOD5, 61% of nitrate and 81% of phosphorus. It was also noticed that the anaerobic pond removes most, carbonaceous organic materials and especially suspended matters; and the aerobic pond most, nitrogen and especially phosphorus. This study reveals the effectiveness of the series connection of an anaerobic and aerobic pond for domestic wastewater treatment.