Course 2 Unit 1 Treatment aspects for urine, faeces and

Part A B C D greywater

TeacherLecturer:Mariska
Ronteltap
Mariska Ronteltap
m.ronteltap@unesco-
m.ronteltap@unesco-ihe.org
ihe.org
 Course 2 Unit 1

Course 2 Unit 1

Part D: General treatment

aspects for greywater
Notes:

• For characteristics of greywater, see

Course 1 Unit 2
• The US-American spelling is graywater
• Some people think that ecosan is only
about toilets, urine and faeces; but in fact,
a holistic ecosan project should also include
a strategy for greywater.
Simple scenario of
greywater reuse in the
garden
 Reminder: main treatment aim for greywater

 Sanitisation (= pathogen kill)  protect public health !

 Groundwater protection

 Enable safe reuse

 Secondary treatment aims specific for
greywater

 Organic matter removal

 Odour removal

 Nutrient removal (if discharged to water course)

 Some general remarks on
greywater management

 This is a growing topic even

outside the ecosan community, i.e.
as part of the “conventional”
sanitation approach
 Is practised more and more widely
also in industrialised countries,
particularly in Australia
 Many equipment suppliers now on
the market
 The challenge is though to find
low-cost solutions applicable for
developing countries
 I recommend the recent
publication by Eawag (Morel and
Diener, 2006)
www.watercasa.org

“Greywater: don’t lose it – use it”

 Definition of greywater
(reminder)
 Greywater is defined as household wastewater
with minimal input of human excreta
 It includes used water from baths, showers,
hand basins, washing machines, dishwashers,
laundries and kitchen sinks
  Greywater is all domestic wastewater
except toilet waste

My daughter Hanna in 2006, learning

about greywater at an early age...
 Course 2 Unit 1

Open greywater drains

in slum in Dhaka,
Bangladesh
(photos provided by Marius de
Langen, UNESCO-IHE)

Do you have your own

photos of indiscriminate
greywater discharge in
your town?
 General objectives for greywater management
1. To protect public health (prevent spreading of water-
borne diseases)
2. To prevent deterioration of (non-sealed) roads and
foot paths
3. To avoid damage to buildings and surrounding areas
from inundation, waterlogging and freezing
4. To avoid creation of bad odours, stagnant water and
breeding sites for mosquitoes
Source:
5. To prevent eutrophication of sensitive surface waters Ridderstolpe
6. To prevent contamination of groundwater and (2004) –
formulated
drinking water reservoirs mainly with
7. To use greywater as a resource for urban agriculture, industrialised
countries in
irrigation, aquifer recharge and landscaping mind
Drivers for separate greywater treatment

 Greywater is easier to treat than conventional (mixed)

wastewater, because it contains almost no pathogens and little
ammonia nitrogen

Drivers for treated greywater reuse

• Reduces potable water demand

– There is a need for water for urban agriculture (see also
Course 3 Unit 2 “Urban agriculture and ecosan”)
• Augmentation of river flows
• Aquifer recharge
 Improved sustainability of water resource management
 Treated greywater reuse options
replacing
 (Urban) agriculture and aquaculture potable water
or untreated
 Irrigation: landscape, golf courses mixed
 Municipal uses wastewater
(e.g. Accra
- E.g. Fire protection, street cleaning, car washing, (Ghana), Lima
cooling, boiler feed and road construction (Peru))
operation
 Non-potable domestic uses replacing
- Toilet flushing, air conditioning, laundry, floor potable water
cleaning
 Use for recreation
- Ponds, lakes, streams and fountains
 Discharge to surface water, percolation to
groundwater
 Rule of thumb for treated greywater reuse
options

 You can use it for anything that does not require water of
potable quality
- So anything except drinking, cooking and perhaps teeth
brushing (and showering/bathing)

 This rule of thumb applies to the normal low-cost treatment

methods. If you went for high-tech methods such as membrane,
UV, ozonation etc. then eventually you would get drinking water
quality.
 Course 2 Unit 1

Greywater reuse system elements

• Generation/separation, collection and transfer

– Can use thinner pipes because no faeces
– Equip pipe systems with ventilation and water traps to
prevent odour
– Low-cost options for communities:
• Small-bore sewer systems (see Course 2 Unit 8)
• Open drains (less desirable but cheaper)
• Treatment
– Pre-treatment see following slides for
further information
– Main treatment
– Post-treatment
• Storage, reuse/recycle and disposal
 Example 1: Components of a greywater
management system at household level

greywater treatment for

individual house

Source: Ridderstolpe (2004)

For low-income areas, the more appropriate solution is likely to be at

neighbourhood or even community level (i.e. semi-centralised)
 Example 2: Richard
Holden’s house in
Johannesburg, South
Africa (slide 1 of 2)
 He uses only pre-
treatment with a
screen but no main
treatment step
 Small greywater
storage tank to
prevent odour (just a
pump sump)
 Example 2: Richard
Holden’s house in
Johannesburg, South
Africa (slide 2 of 2)
 Drip and spray irrigation in
the front and back garden
 Only possible with
sufficiently large garden and
a climate that is not too wet,
and suitable, well-draining
soil
 See also separate
presentation on entire
system (“UDD system at
Holden’s house.ppt”) in
Course 1 Unit 3 extra
material
 Purposes of greywater treatment steps
Treatment step Purpose of treatment step Examples for process options

Pre-treatment Remove suspended solids, Coarse filtration (drain screens, simple

(= primary treatment) particles, fibres, hair, grease coarse filters, gravel and sand filters),
flotation (grease traps), septic tanks a,
UASBa, settling tanks

Main treatment Remove organic matter Constructed wetlandsb, pondsa, trickling

(= secondary (BOD) – also reduce potential filters, anaerobic filters, unplanted vertical-
treatment) for odour flow filters, septic tanksa

Post-treatment (= Further polishing and Disinfection (UV, chlorine)

tertiary treatment) disinfection; reduce organic Sand filters, constructed wetlandsb, aerobic
pollutants and heavy metals attached biofilm processes

Note: Greywater has high levels of easily degradable organic compounds  potential
strong source of smell if not managed properly
a See Course 2 Unit 4 (“Introduction to anaerobic treatment”) (UASB = Upflow Anaerobic Sludge
Blanket reactor)
b See Course 2 Unit 5 (“Introduction to constructed wetlands”)
 Course 2 Unit 1

The degree of greywater treatment required is

dependent on:

 Public health risk that can be tolerated (tolerable risk and health-
based targets, see WHO (2006))
-This will also be discussed further in Course 3 Unit 1 “Reuse
of ecosan products in agriculture”
-Prevalence of water-borne diseases in population
 Population density
 Type of reuse application
 Receiving environment:
- Soil type, structure, groundwater level (if infiltrated into soil)
- Size and sensitivity of aquatic environment (if discharged to
water body)
Septic tank (Australia)

Treatment scheme with septic tank and sand filter

Some photos of treatment processes
(these will all be described in more detail later)
Ponds (lagoons) Constructed wetlands
 Notes on terminology for greywater main Course 2 Unit 1
treatment processes
(all these different names for the same thing can be
quite confusing!)

 Vertical-flow filters are also referred to as subsurface biofilters,

percolation beds, infiltration beds or intermittent sand filters
- Multi-layer percolation bed may have (from top to bottom):
mulch*, topsoil, sand, gravel, stones.
 Horizontal-flow planted filters are also called constructed
wetlands
 Vertical-flow planted filters are also called constructed wetlands

* Mulch: In agriculture and gardening, mulch is a protective cover placed over

the soil, primarily to modify the effects of the local climate. A wide variety of
natural and synthetic materials are used. (source: www.wikipedia.org)

Source: Morel and Diener (2006)

 Example 3: Rural communities in Jordan (1/4)
• Integrated Wastewater
Management of Marginal
Communities in Jordan
• 35 small & scattered rural
communities in the arid area
of Jordan
• Pit latrines used for excreta
disposal, so household
wastewater is in fact
greywater

Source: Sahar Dalahmeh (Royal Scientific Society

Environment Research Center), 28 July 06, Short Course
participant at IHE
 Working with the communities in identifying best
techniques, technologies and practices for greywater
treatment and reuse (2/4)
Concentrated greywater

Generation rate: 20 L/cap/d This is very low. People use water several
times: first shower/bath, then laundry, then
floor cleaning. Typical value in Germany would
be say 100 L/cap/d.
pH: 6.69
BOD: 930 mg/L TKN: 99 mg/L
COD: 2367 mg/L FOG: 171 mg/L (fats, oil and grease)
TSS: 829 mg/L E. coli: 5.0x105 MPN/100 ml
 Course 2 Unit 1

Outputs (slide 3 of 4)

Treatment technology selection criteria: source

characteristics (quality & quantity), community
requirement (cost, operation and maintenance), local
standards for reuse, and recieving environment)
2 options short-listed

Upflow anaerobic sludge Septic tank & intermittent

blanket reactor (UASB) sand filter (ISF)
Septic tank & intermittent sand filter for
one household (4/4)
 Technologies for main treatment step of
greywater
• Biological low-rate systems (“natural” low-tech, see
systems): Course 2 Unit
– Constructed wetlands, vertical soil filters, 4 & 5 for
soil infiltration - most common more details

– Ponds
– Septic tank or UASB plus sand filters
high-tech,
• Biological high-rate systems (with biofilms): see later in
– Trickling filters this
presentation
– Rotating biological contactors (RBC) for more
• Membrane treatment: details

– Membrane bioreactor (MBR) (also a

Notes:
biological
Activated sludgehigh-rate
process notsystem)
normally used (not compact enough;
no–need for biological nutrient
Nano-filtration, removal)
ultra-filtration
 Example:
experimental
mulch bed for
greywater
treatment (after
settling)

This mulch bed of 6 m2 area treats

shower water from communal shower
block at the allotment garden Listudden
in Stockholm, Sweden

Left: Open box to show sampling wells

for influent and effluent
How to select the most appropriate
process?
• Use again sustainability criteria (see Course 1 Unit 1
and also next slide)
• Based on strength of greywater (amount of organic
matter)
– My rule of thumb: Use anaerobic processes* for high-
strength greywater (BOD > 400 mg/L), use aerobic
processes for low-strength greywater (BOD < 400 mg/L)
• Based on required quality for reuse or discharge

* Anaerobic processes: e.g. Septic tanks, UASBs, ponds (they need polishing
with aerobic treatment or other processes before discharge (e.g. constructed
wetlands)) – See Course 2 Unit 4 on “Introduction to anaerobic treatment
technologies”
 Course 2 Unit 1

Comparison of options for main treatment

step of greywater
Technology Biological low-rate Biological high- Membrane
rate
Capital investment Low Medium High

O & M cost Low Medium High

Effluent quality Medium Medium High

Operator skills required Low Medium Medium

Robustness High High High

Land requirement High Medium Low

“low-tech” “high-tech”

Keep in mind biological sludge production in each case

(needs treatment, e.g. dewatering, drying, reuse)
 Example: decision tree for determining
appropriate greywater disposal/treatment
options (for South African unsewered
areas)

This is a proposed simplified decision tree from Carden et al. (2007)

It is specific for the South African context, but just to give you an example
 Greywater treatment: use existing know-
how and know which route to take
Route A
Post-treatment step
Greywater
treatment, main Processes also
treatment step used for drinking Direct or indirect
water treatment planned non-
Same processes as (sand filters, potable or even
used for conventional membranes, potable reuse
(mixed) wastewater
ozone, UV, etc.)
but greywater
contains:
• fewer pathogens
• lower ammonia-N
+
and phosphorus Multiple-barrier approach
• no industrial
Other additional
effluent
risk management Irrigation in
measures (as (urban)
described in WHO, agriculture
2006)

Route B

Which route would be most suitable in your city?

 Some further descriptions of more “high
tech” greywater treatment methods
(for main treatment step)
The following processes will be described in the
following slides:
1. Trickling filters
2. Rotating biological contactors
3. Membrane bioreactors
 1 - Trickling filters for greywater treatment
(main treatment step)
= a non-flooded packed bed of media (rock or plastic),
where the void volume is air, and which is covered
with biomass, and over which wastewater flows
downwards.

Trickling filter in England used for conventional mixed wastewater treatment (could
also be used for greywater treatment, at a smaller scale)
 Course 2 Unit 1

Characteristics of trickling filters

• Treatment process is aerobic (requires presence of

oxygen)
• Biomass (biofilm) attach to rock or plastic media
• Wastewater (after primary settling) distributed
continuously over the media
• Simple, energy-efficient operation
• Very low operating costs
• Can achieve high BOD removal, good nitrification,
and some nitrogen removal
Trickling filter media types

• Rock (most common, see next slide)

• Plastic, structured media

– Vertical flow
– Cross flow

• Plastic random pack

www.munters.com/www/uk/home.nsf
Trickling filters with rock media
 Course 2 Unit 1

2 - Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

for greywater treatment (main treatment
step)
• Fixed film aerobic systems
• Biomass (biofilm) attached to a partly or fully
submerged rotating media in wastewater
• Media rotation by mechanical drive or air
• Limited nitrification
• Used in package-plant design
 Rotating biological contactor (RBC) plants
(“package plants”)

These photos are for conventional

mixed wastewater treatment but the
plants would look the same if they
were treating greywater
Source:
http://www.klargester.de/1_50.htm
 3 - Membrane bioreactor
(combined main and post-
treatment step for greywater)
• The membrane bioreactor
(MBR) couples the activated
sludge process with membrane
filtration for sludge separation
• Construction and O&M costs are
relatively high (high energy
demand for aeration)
• Regarded as a “high-tech”
solution
• Produces excellent effluent
quality, with extremely low
pathogen concentrations
• Useful also for industrial
wastewater (e.g. www.triqua.nl)

Source of photos: http://www.water-

technology.net/projects/carnation/carnation6.html
 Course 2 Unit 1

Post-treatment options for greywater

• Polishing (= further solids removal):

– Sand filters
– Granular activated carbon (GAC)
– Wetlands
– Sorption and irrigation systems

• Disinfection:
– Chlorine (simple O&M, inexpensive, but strong smell,
disinfection by-products)
– Ultra Violet (UV) (no change of smell/color of water)
– Ozone (powerful disinfectant, expensive)
– Membrane filtration (e.g. as part of MBR process)
Schematic of greywater reuse system for
medium scale community
Greywater
collection

pre-
Sedimentation
treatment

e.g. Wetland, Pond, main

RBC, TF, treatment
MBR, UF, NF

Disinfection post-
treatment

Storage

Reuse activities recycle

 Potential environmental and public health
risks with greywater reuse in agriculture
Potential risk Reason

Spreading of disease Pathogens from greywater may spread by direct contact (i.e.
touching greywater or inhaling infectious water droplets) or
indirectly by consumption of contaminated food

Contamination of food Harmful chemicals and pathogens can be absorbed by

vegetables

Damage of soil structure Solid particles, chemicals in greywater will cause land application
systems to block and alter soil acidity/alkalinity balance

The public health risks are much lower than when using treated (or
untreated!) conventional domestic wastewater (wastewater which includes
human excreta)
Public acceptance of greywater reuse
(for industrialised countries)
• Public acceptance for certain reuse options is usually
high:
– Toilet flushing
– Garden watering (e.g. in Australia)
 need dual plumbing
• Lower acceptance for reuse options such as:
– Laundry
– Bath / shower
In developing countries, level of public acceptance is
generally relatively high, and it is certainly much safer
than the current common practise of using raw
(untreated) mixed domestic wastewater for urban
agriculture.
 Course 2 Unit 1

Guidelines for greywater reuse

• Reuse in agriculture
– Since September 2006 we have the new WHO guidelines
(see next slide)
• National reuse guidelines in countries with existing
reuse practises, e.g:
– China
– Australia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Japan,
USA
 WHO Guidelines
• Third edition of the Guidelines for the “Safe use of wastewater, excreta
and greywater” is presented in four separate volumes:
– Volume 1, Policy and regulatory aspects
– Volume 2, Wastewater use in agriculture
– Volume 3, Wastewater and excreta use in aquaculture
– Volume 4, Excreta and greywater use in agriculture
• http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wastewater/gsuww/en
• Volume 4 of the Guidelines provides information on the assessment
and management of risks associated with microbial hazards. It explains
requirements to promote the safe use of excreta and greywater in
agriculture, including minimum procedures and specific health-based
targets, and how those requirements are intended to be used. This
volume also describes the approaches used in deriving the guidelines,
including health-based targets, and includes a substantive revision of
approaches to ensuring microbial safety.
 A key sentence from the introduction of
the WHO guidelines
“Traditional waterborne sewerage will continue to dominate
sanitation for the foreseeable future. Since only a fraction of
existing wastewater treatment plants in the world are optimally
reducing levels of pathogenic microorganisms and since a
majority of people living in both rural and urban areas will not be
connected to centralised wastewater treatment systems,
alternative sanitation approaches need to be developed in
parallel.” (WHO, 2006, p. xiii)
• More information about these guidelines will be given in Course
3 Unit 1 “Reuse of ecosan products in agriculture”)
 Remarks about the situation in Australia
There are now problems with emerging water shortages due to climate
change and population growth, e.g. in South-East Queensland

Main proposed technical An ecosan-type approach would be:

solutions: – Separate out the greywater
and treat and reuse it
– Seawater (advantages: much lower
desalination with pathogens, no industrial
reverse osmosis component, decentralised
reuse)
• This is energy
intensive: increased – Get serious about water
costs of water and demand management
more CO2 • 250 L/cap/d for
emissions! wastewater production
(in 2000)
– Reuse of treated • Compare with current
wastewater (the value in the
public is worried Netherlands: ~ 120
about health risk and L/cap/d
does not like this – Change agricultural
option but sometimes practices away from plants
with high water demand
are not given a Golf course irrigation – often (e.g. cotton)
choice) still with potable water!

Do you have a similar situation in your country?

 Some example companies specialising in
greywater treatment (there are many more!)32
Name of the company Country of origin Name of the products

Australian waterlines Australia GreyWatersaver

Eco Design Sustainable Housing Australia Grey Water Diverter

Nature Loo Australia Nature clear

Environ-friendly Australia Wattworks Grey Water

System

Environ-friendly Australia Eco Care

FBR Germany FBR Grey Water recycling

system

Some other useful suppliers’ websites:

– www.oasisdesign.net/greywater/index.htm
– www.greywater.com
Example list of advice regarding
greywater: Greywater Do’s : we should…
• Only use wastewater from baths, showers, hand basins and
washing machines (preferably the final rinse water)
• Only use greywater on the garden and rotate which areas you
water.
• Only apply enough water that the soil can absorb
• Wash your hands following watering with greywater
• Stop using greywater during wet periods
• Stop using greywater if odours are generated and plants do not
appear to be healthy
• Grey water that can be reused straight away without the need
for pre-treatment includes greywater from the shower, bath and
laundry rinse cycle.
• Choose phosphate-free or low-phosphate household cleaners
and detergents.
• Install a lint filter in your washing machine.
Source: an Australian website (I can’t find it anymore)
 Greywater Don'ts: We should not…
• Water vegetable gardens if the crop is to be eaten raw or uncooked
• Use greywater that has faecal contamination, for example wastewater used to wash
nappies
• Use kitchen wastewater (including dishwashers) due to the high concentration of food
wastes and chemicals that are not readily broken down by soil organisms
• Store greywater for more than 24 hours
• Let children or pets drink or play with greywater
• Allow greywater to flow from your property or enter stormwater systems
• Use greywater if any member of your family is suffering from gastroenteritis.
• Irrigate your garden with greywater in wet weather, or if the soil is already sodden.
• Allow greywater to form pools or ponds in your garden. The microbes will thrive,
creating an offensive stink and a health hazard.
• Allow your pets to drink greywater.
• Let children play in garden areas irrigated with greywater.
• Let greywater run-off reach your swimming pool and any other water features, like
ponds and birdbaths
• Let the family eat without washing their hands before.
• Urinate in the shower or bath.
• Use water that has come in contact with the toilet, or any other toileting fixture such
as a bidet or urinal.
• Reuse the water when you wash domestic pets, because of the high level of bacterial
contamination
 Course 2 Unit 1

Example for commercially available

greywater reuse product (1/2)
Supplier statements:
• Fresh water is first used for
hand washing and then flows
into cistern to ultimately flush
the toilet
• Result is 10% greater savings
in total bathroom water usage
than market leading
Smartflush® technology
• This Caroma technology has
been successfully
independently tested and
refined over a ten year period
• Extensive field trials have been
conducted to ensure the
presence of soapy water in the
cistern has no adverse effect
on internal cistern operating
Source: http://www.caroma.com.au/products/index_profile.html
componentry
Example for commercially available
greywater reuse product (2/2)
“Hello everybody,

I just want to comment on Peter’s experience about being surprised that

the idea is considered to be "new" and the product is sold as a "new"
idea. I agree with him. My experience from Japan is the same, this type of
toilets are in use since many decades there. Even as a tourist, you can
see and use them in almost every 'ryokan‘ (traditional B&B, traditional
hotels, boarding-houses) and privately
in many households.

Best regards,
Zsofia Ganrot”

Source: EcosanRes Discussion Forum on 16 June 2007

 Course 2 Unit 1

References used in this presentation

• Carden, K., Armitage, N., Sichone, O., and Winter, K. (2007)

The use and disposal of greywater in the non-sewered areas of
South Africa: Part 2 - Greywater management options. Water
SA, 33(4), 433 - 442. *
• Morel, A. and Diener, S. (2006) Greywater management in low
and middle-income countries, review of different treatment
systems for households or neighbourhoods. Swiss Federal
Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).
Dübendorf, Switzerland.
http://www.eawag.ch/organisation/abteilungen/sandec/schwerpu
nkte/ewm/projects/project_greywater *
• Ridderstolpe, P. (2004) Introduction to greywater management,
Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden, www.ecosanres.org *
• WHO (2006) Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta
and greywater: Volume 4, Excreta and greywater use in
agriculture.
* Also provided onWorld Health
the I-LE underOrganisation, Geneva,
Assigned Reading available:
or Extra Materials for this
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wastewater/gsuww/e
course unit
n/ *