Performance assessment of AS-SBR and UF-MBR for hotel wastewater treatment

Water Sci Technol. 2009;60(7):1701-9. doi: 10.2166/wst.2009.027.

Abstract

A large number of tourist structures in Venice (Italy) have small sized on-site treatment systems for their wastewater. Due to its historical characteristics, the city has no public sewerage system and untreated hotel wastewater represents a serious hazard for its lagoon environment. This study focused on the wastewater facilities installed in two hotels adopting an Activated Sludge Sequencing Batch Reactor (AS-SBR) and an Ultra-Filtration Membrane Biological Reactor (UF-MBR). Their performance was checked in terms of both traditional physico-chemical and ecotoxicological parameters, the importance of which has recently been recognised by EU regulatory dispositions and OSPAR indications. Acute and sub-chronic endpoints were both considered on a whole effluent toxicity basis by means of Vibrio fischeri and Crassostrea gigas, respectively. The two months monitoring survey evidenced that the UF-MBR was more efficient than the AS-SBR in providing high-quality discharges under both chemical and ecotoxicological viewpoints.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Industrial Waste*
  • Italy
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / standards*
  • Water / chemistry*
  • Water Microbiology / standards
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / chemistry*
  • Water Pollution, Chemical / prevention & control
  • Water Purification / methods

Substances

  • Industrial Waste
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Water