On-Site Bioremediation: A Solution To Treatment Of Greywater

Treating wastewater on site via bioremediation and mechanical methods can save energy by reducing the stress on a large central water treatment facility to process greywater. Development of such systems will depend on characterization of this wastewater in order to properly design the system and test its performance. The purpose of this research was to develop and test a greywater system to be used for cleaning greywater from a hair salon. The system that was tested uses bioremediation, the process of using organisms to consume and break down pollutants. The experimental apparatus is a constructed greywater system using readily available parts. It is unique in that it is exclusively gravity fed with exception of the sump pump to provide the initial input. It is a three-trough system that flows from a top-center trough, then down to two adjacent troughs via aeration siphons. The study included two phases, a short-term study consisting of four variations, and a 16-day “batch” study. These four variations included (1) a baseline assessment, (2) no plants with only a biofilter, (3) no biofilter with plants only, and (4) a complete system incorporating both plants and biofilter.