Biomat Development in Soil Treatment Units for On-site Wastewater Treatment

H. F. Winstanley, A. C. Fowler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We provide a simple mathematical model of the bioremediation of contaminated wastewater leaching into the subsoil below a septic tank percolation system. The model comprises a description of the percolation system's flows, together with equations describing the growth of biomass and the uptake of an organic contaminant concentration. By first rendering the model dimensionless, it can be partially solved, to provide simple insights into the processes which control the efficacy of the system. In particular, we provide quantitative insight into the effect of a near surface biomat on subsoil permeability; this can lead to trench ponding, and thus propagation of effluent further down the trench. Using the computed vadose zone flow field, the model can be simply extended to include reactive transport of other contaminants of interest.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1985-2001
Number of pages17
JournalBulletin of Mathematical Biology
Volume75
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2013

Keywords

  • On-site wastewater
  • Pore clogging

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Biomat Development in Soil Treatment Units for On-site Wastewater Treatment'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this