Ecossistema Engenheirado no tratamento descentralizado de águas residuárias de pequenos geradores: A Engenharia Ecológica na Ilha Grande, RJ.

Abstract

In different regions of the world as well as in Brazil, a high percentage of the population and even entire communities do not have access to sewerage and/or centralized sewage treatment. The common scenario is the presence of septic tanks and sinks or, in many cases, sewage discharge directly into recipient water bodies. With the objective of making available a technological alternative with low cost of implementation and operation and to minimize environmental impacts, the present project developed based on systems reported in the literature, a compacted engineering ecosystem for treatment of domestic sewage from small generators. The system is formed by a preliminary (flow controller and grease tank), primary (septic tank) and a secondary treatment (submersed aerated filter and secondary decanter) and a group of tanks with aquatic macrophytes (Eichhornia crassipes, Schoenoplectus sp., Panicum cf. racemosum) interlaced by a tank with algae for removal of the remaining pollutants and nutrients. The system was installed at CEADS/UERJ, Vila de Dois Rios, Ilha Grande in the south coast of Rio de Janeiro and it has been operated and monitored since April 2009; this study reports the first 200 monitoring days. The removal efficiencies of the polluted load were monitored during the flow 200 L/h, later corrected to 52 L/h, with the aim of meeting the threshold limits established by the Resolution CONAMA 357 and NBR 13969 of ABNT, for the following parameters: DO, pH, Temperature, Nitrate, Ammoniacal Nitrogen, BOD5, COD, sedimentable solids chloride, Grease and Oil, and parameters not included in those Resolutions (EC, TOC, alkalinity, hardness, Nitrite, Total Phosphorus, and different categories of solids (TS, TSS, VSS, FSS and TDS). The results showed that the system was more efficient when operated with the lower flow (52L/h), when it achieved the following percentages of removal: 96% (Nitrite); 71% (Nitrate); 47% (Ammoniacal nitrogen); 96.7% (COD); 95.7% (BOD5); 10% (Total Phosphorus). The system presented an evolution throughout the operation period. After the flow reduction, 12 among 14 parameters analyzed, met the threshold limits established by the Federal Legislation, the Resolution CONAMA 357 and environmental legislations from the States of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Goiás. To increase the treatment efficiency, it is recommended redesigning the submerged aerated filter and planted tanks, based on recommendations found in PROSAB 2.