Modeling of bark-, sand- and activated carbon filters for treatment of greywater

Abstract: ABSTRACT Modeling of bark-, sand- and activated carbon filters for treatment of greywater Susanna Ciuk Karlsson   The part of the waste water produced in a household, originating from showers, dish - and wash water, is called greywater. It is possible to treat the greywater separately from the black water (toilet water) as it is less polluted and then use it for purposes such as garden irrigation. There are various methods for purifying greywater. Here, the possibility to purify greywater using three column filters with different materials (activated carbon, pine bark and sand) was examined through modeling in the computer program HYDRUS. A set-up with physical filters was available, where flow measurements were performed. These measurements were used to validate the model that was developed in HYDRUS. When a flow model had been produced that could replicate the measured flow, a module of HYDRUS was used to also model the reactive transport of nutrients and organic matter in the filters. The complete model was used for evaluation of the treatment performance of the filters during a default scenario where they were loaded with 1 liter of water per day containing pollutant concentration corresponding to typical greywater.