4.1.4 Septic tank
 A
septic tank is a watertight tank, usually located just below ground, and
receives both blackwater and greywater (Figure 10). It can be used with pour
flush toilets or cistern flush toilets. It functions as a storage tank for
settled solids and floating materials (e.g. oils and grease). The storage time
of the wastewater in the tank is usually between 2 and 4 days. About 50% removal
of BOD and Suspended Solids (SS) is usually achieved in a properly operated
septic tank due to the settling of the solids during wastewater storage.
A septic tank can be constructed of bricks and mortar and rendered, or of
concrete. Its shape can be rectangular or cylindrical. A septic tank can be
partitioned into two chambers to reduce flow short-circuiting and improve solids
removal.
The overflow from a septic
tank is directed to a leach pit or trench. A leach pit (Figure 11) is similar to
the pit of a pit latrine or pour flush latrine. The pit must be sized to allow
percolation of the volume of wastewater generated. A pit works well in soils
with high permeability. In soils with lower permeability a trench can provide
the larger surface area of percolation (Figure 12). The trench is usually filled
with gravel and a distribution pipe for the wastewater is placed in this gravel
layer. Soil is then placed above this gravel layer to the ground surface.
 A leach pit or trench does
not work when the soil permeability is too low (e.g. clayey soil or hard rock).
In regions where annual evaporation is high, trees and shrubs can be used to
help pump the water into the atmosphere by evapotranspiration. An
evapotranspiration bed can be designed similar to a leach trench, but a suite of
suitable local vegetation species tolerant of high nutrients and water are
planted above and surrounding the trench (Figure 13). The trench should be sized
to store water during the rainy season or low evaporation periods.
A leach pit or drain does not work either when the groundwater table is close
to ground surface. In this case off-site disposal is necessary using a settled
sewerage system (3.3 above). If the groundwater table is not too close, an
inverted leach drain as described under Improved On-site Units below (4.1.5) can
be used.
The organic solids in a septic tank undergo anaerobic bacterial decomposition
just as in the pit of a pit latrine. The sludge needs emptying, and the period
between emptying is usually designed to be between 3 to 5 years. The sludge has
to be further treated before reuse or disposal (Section 5).
The septic tank overflow undergoes further bacterial decomposition as it
percolates through a leach pit or trench. Soil bacteria, usually under aerobic
conditions undertake the decomposition. The BOD of the wastewater can reach a
low figure (<20 mg/L) if the distance between the bottom of the pit or trench to
the groundwater table is greater than 2 m. Nutrients are not significantly
removed by the bacteria and usually pollute the groundwater. Pathogenic bacteria
are removed by die-off or filtration by the soil, but viruses may travel further
in the soil or groundwater.
Percolation of septic tank overflow is much slower compared to rainwater
percolation. This is because a layer of bacterial slime grows on the surfaces of
the soil particles, restricting flow. Two leach pits or trenches used
alternately, say every 6 months, are better than a single leach pit or trench of
the same total area for percolation, because as one is used the other will
recover its percolation rate.
4.1.5 Improved on-site treatment units
Improved on-site treatment units refer to treatment units that
improve the performance of one of the above on-site systems, for reducing BOD,
SS and/or nutrients. Two designs are described to illustrate the main principles
used. A principal aim of the improvements is to prevent groundwater pollution or
enable water reuse of the treated wastewater on-site. Many designs are available
using similar principles.
(a) Inverted trench
 In the system illustrated
in Figure 14, a plastic or impermeable liner underlies the trench of the septic
tank. The liner is filled with sand or a fairly permeable soil. Overflow from
the septic tank is introduced at the base of the sand layer. It flows up through
the sand layer and flows over into the surrounding soil. The sand layer acts as
a slow sand filter, where bacteria growing on the surfaces of the sand particles
degrade the organic substances to reduce BOD. Because of the fluctuating flow of
wastewater with peak flows in the morning and in the evening, the upper region
of the sand layer alternates between aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Under
these conditions a significant part of nitrogen in the wastewater can be removed
by nitrification (bacterial conversion of ammonium in the wastewater to nitrate
under aerobic conditions) and denitrification (bacterial conversion of nitrate
to nitrogen gas under anaerobic conditions. In addition if materials that can
remove phosphate are mixed with the sand, phosphorus in the wastewater is also
removed. One material, that has been found to remove phosphate effectively with
a capacity for phosphorus removal for several years, is bauxite refining residue
(red mud).
(b) Aerobic Treatment Unit
An aerated treatment unit consists of a tank similar to a septic
tank. The tank is partitioned into four compartments (Figure 15). The first
compartment receives the wastewater and acts as a sedimentation tank for solids.
The overflow from the first compartment goes to an aeration compartment. The
aeration compartment is fitted with corrugated plastic sheets to enable bacteria
to attach themselves. The aeration supplies oxygen to the bacteria decomposing
the organic matter in the wastewater thus reducing its BOD. After aeration, the
wastewater passes to a third compartment which acts as a second sedimentation
tank. Sludge from this second sedimentation tank is pumped to the first
compartment for storage. After sedimentation the wastewater overflows to a
fourth compartment for storage and pumping, usually for irrigation of garden
beds. If required, chlorine is applied by inserting chlorine tablets in the pipe
between the third and fourth compartments. Chlorination is required when
sprinklers irrigate the treated wastewater. Sub-surface irrigation is
preferable, because it does not require chlorination.
Power is required for aeration and pumping. For a system serving
a household of up to 10 persons, the power supply rating needed is 100 W (2.5
kWh per day). This on-site unit is a miniature of an activated sludge treatment
plant usually used for centralised treatment (see Section 5). One difference is
that surfaces are provided in the aeration tank to retain bacteria during peak
flows. The other difference is that sludge from the second sedimentation tank is
returned to first tank for storage.
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