Improvement of Onsite Wastewater Systems Performance: Experimental and Numerical Investigation

Population growth and the associated increase in use of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) Black Hills have been a reason for interest nitrate contamination within public water supply over past few years. The main concern is presence karst formation that all OWTS wastewater travel faster, limiting natural attenuation contaminants. treatment performance common soils wood-based media was evaluated using soil column experiments numerical model, HYDRUS 2D. Nitrate performances were alluvial cedar collected from Hills, sand, woodchips (loose dense), biochar. This research investigated hydraulic reaction parameters through combination experimental inverse modeling approaches. A good agreement obtained between measured model-predicted moisture content, with R2 values ranging 0.57 to 0.99. model calibrated flow data concentration leachate at bottom columns. removal rates varied 32.3% 70%, highest rate loose woodchips, followed by dense woodchip biochar, lowest materials. biochar removed an additional 20% compared soils, attributable enhanced denitrification due higher content organic content. should be implemented OWTS, where there are known formations.