Sunlight-mediated disinfection in wastewater treatment ponds is widely recognised as the main role for disinfection, but pathogen removal can be limited by poor light penetration in the water column. The aim of this research is to evaluate a different and simple type of intervention for improving bacterial disinfection, by placing mid-depth transverse baffles perpendicular to the theoretical flow in an existing shallow maturation pond, aiming at increasing the opportunity for bacteria to receive radiation at the upper layers of the pond. In order to understand the hydrodynamic mechanisms and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed intervention, a 3D Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model was applied, including the transverse baffles and a particle-tracking model. This was complemented by monitoring E. coli in the pond, in the phase before and after inclusion of the transversal baffles. Overall, the transverse baffles increased disinfection efficiency by moulding/re-routing the hydrodynamic flow and increasing microorganism exposure to the sunlight.
Keywords: Baffles; Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD); disinfection; hydrodynamics; waste stabilisation pond.