Use of reactive filter media (RFM) is an emerging technology in small-scale wastewater treatment to improve phosphorus (P) removal and filter material longevity for making this technology sustainable. In this study, long-term sorption kinetics and the spatial dynamics of sorbed P distribution were simulated in replaceable P-filter bags filled with 700 L of reactive material and used in real on-site treatment systems. The input data for model calibration were obtained in laboratory trials with Filtralite P^®, Polonite^® and Top16. The P concentration breakthrough threshold value was set at an effluent/influent (C/C₀) ratio of 1 and simulations were performed with P concentrations varying from 1 to 25 mg L⁻¹. The simulation results showed that influent P concentration was important for the breakthrough and longevity, and that Polonite performed best, followed by Top16 and Filtralite P. A 100-day break in simulated intermittent flow allowed the materials to recover, which for Polonite involved slight retardation of P saturation. The simulated spatial distribution of P accumulated in the filter bags showed large differences between the filter materials. The modelling insights from this study can be applied in design and operation of on-site treatment systems using reactive filter materials

Many on-site wastewater treatment systems, such as soil treatment systems, are not sustainable in terms of purification efficiency, nutrient recycling potential, and economics. In this case study, a sequencing batch constructed wetland (SBCW) was designed and added after a package treatment plant (PTP) using reactive filter media for phosphorus (P) removal and recycling. The treatment performance of the entire system in the start-up phase and its possible applicability in rural areas were investigated. Raw and treated effluents were sampled during a period of 25 weeks and analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, BOD7, and bacteria. Field measurements were made of wastewater flow, electrical conductivity, oxygen, and temperature. The entire system removed total-P and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) by 83% and 22%, respectively. High salt concentration and very low wastewater temperature were possible reasons for these unexpectedly low P and TIN removal efficiencies. In contrast, removal rates of bacteria (Escherichia coli, enterococci) and organic matter (as BOD) were high, due to filtration in the alkaline medium Polonite((R)) (Ecofiltration Nordic AB, Stockholm, Sweden) and the fine sand used as SBCW substrate. High pH in effluent from the PTP was efficiently reduced to below pH 9 in the SBCW, meeting recommendations by environmental authorities in Sweden. We concluded that treating cold on-site wastewater can impair treatment performance and that technical measures are needed to improve SBCW performance.

The sorption capacities of filter sands used for onsite wastewater treatment and their associated risks of phosphorus (P) leakage on contact with rainwater were investigated in column experiments and modelling studies. Columns packed with sand were exposed to real domestic wastewater of different characteristics and hydraulic loading modes. The wastewater fed into the columns was effluent collected from three different treatment units in the field: a septic tank (ST), biofiltration tank (BF) and Polonite® filter bag (PO). The risk of P leaching to groundwater and surface water was also assessed, by exposing the same sand columns to artificial rainwater. The results indicated that sand columns can exhibit different adsorption capacities for Total-P, phosphate-P and total suspended solids, depending on the characteristics of influent wastewater. The adsorption capacity increased in the order ST > BF > PO, based on availability of organic matter to form biofilm. Effluent from Pol columns was significantly clearer, indicating lower organics content, than effluent from ST and BF columns. The modelled breakthrough curves for Total-P desorption agreed satisfactorily with the measured values, but further model improvement is needed.

In a six-month field trial, the performance of a full-scale sequencing batch flow constructed wetland (SBCW) treating on-site wastewater was determined. The filling and draining periods lasted 5-9 days, depending on wastewater production by users (two households). The results indicated that the SBCW system efficiently removed ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄-N, 76%) and Escherichia coli (89%). However, draining by pumping increased preferential water flow and considerably limited removal of dissolved phosphorus (PO₄-P) in the filter bed. Analysis of water samples from nine points and three vertical levels of the wetland bed showed that pumping aerated the bed, resulting in removal of NH₄-N being highest in the top 0-0.2 m layer (43%) intermediate in the 0.2-0.4 m layer (32%), and lowest in the deep (0.4-0.6 m) layer (4%). Complementary modeling using COMSOL Multiphysics software to predict the hydraulic dynamics for three different SBCW designs indicated that the drainage system of the present SBCW should be re-designed to increase contact time and aeration, for improved phosphorus and nitrogen removal.