Performance of geotextile-based slow sand filter media in removing total coli for drinking water treatment using system dynamics modelling

Abstract

In a slow sand filter, a biological layer consisting of alluvial mud and various types of microorganisms grows and attaches to the sand media and forms a matrix called schmutzdecke . Changes to several factors, including the quality of raw water, filtration speed, and the addition of media, affect the performance of the slow sand filter unit in producing treated water. Geotextiles can be equipped to improve the performance of a slow sand filter in removing pollutants. The selection of several factors that affect slow sand filter performance can be used as a starting point for the engineering system to determine the best pattern of performance behavior. This approach was carried out by looking at the dynamic behavior patterns of slow sand filter system performance in treating raw water. This research has not yet been conducted extensively. The dynamic behavior pattern approach to the performance of the slow sand filter unit was used to obtain the behavior model for the schmutzdecke layer on the filter. The system dynamic approach focused on treatment scenarios that can determine the behavior of the slow sand filter system. Several factors were assessed, including temperature, turbidity, nutrient concentration, algal concentration, bacteria and dissolved oxygen. Model simulation results show that the comparison of C: N: P values affected the performance of the schmutzdecke layer in removing total coli. The slow sand filter unit was capable of producing treated water with a total amount of coli equal to 0 on the C: N: P values of 85: 5.59: 1.25, respectively, and a 9 cm geotextile thickness.

Perceptions of Sanitation Hygiene Refill Drinking Water Depot in The Region of Indonesia

“…Local water company Malang has 85 district meter areas. The higher the level of contamination with coliform bacteria, the higher the risk of the presence of other pathogenic bacteria (18). Inadequate sanitation facilities can cause the presence of coliforms in water, and depot owners who ignore personal hygiene and drinking water treatment facilities that are used are rarely replaced or cleaned.…”

A Review on the Use of Membrane Technology Systems in Developing Countries

“…When the relatively unpolluted raw water sources are scarce, the next step is to look for raw water with much higher contaminant loading but which is still abundantly available. Due to the limitations of the depth filtration mechanism in the conventional media sand filters, it is incapable of handling some contaminant removal to ensure an effective solid-liquid separation process [149]. A membrane system such as UF offers a feasible alternative to handle high suspended loading and yet provides a good quality filtrate through the surface filtration mechanism [150].…”

Performance of Modified Slow Sand Filter to Reduce Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids, and Iron in River Water as Water Treatment in Disaster Areas

“…The raw water that can be used in disaster locations is generally river water that is processed into clean water using a treatment that is simple, portable, easy to operate, and inexpensive in terms of operational and maintenance costs. One of the clean water treatment plants that meet these criteria is a slow sand filter unit (Fitriani et al, 2020). Slow sand filter has the advantage of not requiring chemicals in its processing.…”