TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES DE USO AGRÍCOLA EN UN BIORREACTOR DE LECHO FIJO WASTEWATER TREATMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL USE IN A FIXED BED BIOREACTOR

Only a small percentage of domestic and industrial wastewaters are properly treated in México. Most of the wastewater produced is used for crop irrigation without being previously treated. This presents a serious risk for human and animal health, due to the presence of high concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants. The implementation of wastewater treatment systems can be helpful in solving this problem. For these reasons, a series of experimental tests were carried out in a semipilot-scale, up-flow, fixed-bed bioreactor, varying particle diameter (ds) and static bed height (Hs), at constant water and air flow rates. The goal was to determine the best operating conditions to enhance the efficiency of the system. The results show that the highest efficiency of organic matter removal (91.9%) was achieved when the bioreactor was operated at ds=1.87 mm, Hs=65 cm. Moreover, a high removal of heavy metals was also observed under these conditions.