A global analysis of five years management of slurry with natural treatment systems for wastewater (NTSW) in Gran Canaria using a pilot plant

Abstract

The objective of this article is to describe the experience on management, behavior and organic waste removal capacity in a pig farm over a 5 years period. In this farm there is a pilot plant with a singular design of Natural Treatment Systems for Wastewater (NTSW) composed of: rotary sieve, first generation multi-chamber biodigestor, two constructed wetlands (CW) with subsurface flow and a facultative pond between both CWs. The pilot plant has operated for 5 years (2009-2015), after the first year of ommissioning (2008). This plant, located in the Island of Gran Canaria, has allowed to verify the suitability of the solutions applied to livestock waste, adaptability to variations in concentration (incoming batches), organic load, flow and atmospheric conditions. Data, was collected through 30 variables distributed between dry and wet periods, and significant correlations have been found between them. In general, NTSW have stable and cyclic elimination percentages according to the time of year.