A trickling filter is a biological filter where water flows over a porous surface, creating a thick layer of biological slime that captures pollutants. It is used before advanced wastewater purification and consists of filter media, distribution system, and drainage system. The filter medium accumulates slime from pollutants, and the distribution system brings water to the filter. The drainage system catches excess sludge and pollutants.
A trickling filter is a type of biological filter in which water flows continuously over a porous surface, such as peat moss, plastic or rocks, and a thick layer of biological slime arises to capture pollutants. The name is a misnomer, because technically no filtering or filtering is done, but the slime is able to collect and reduce the amount of waste in the water. A trickling filter is usually used before more advanced forms of machine-driven wastewater purification. The three parts of trickling filters are the filter media, distribution system, and drainage system, all of which combine to help purify the water.
Wastewater is constantly produced by a variety of human actions, such as using the toilet or washing the dishes. This water needs to be purified so it can go back into the system and be reused for other water needs. A trickling filter is one of the first purification processes wastewater encounters and works by producing sludge and dripping water.
Wastewater first hits the filter medium, a porous substance that is usually cheap to use and has a large surface area. If the material clogs easily or is brittle, it will not be suitable as a filter medium, as water will be trapped or destroy the filter surface. As sewage flows over this surface, the surface will begin to accumulate slime from all the pollutants. After some time, the slime will be thick enough to prevent oxygen from penetrating the slime layer. This allows the slime to absorb additional pollutants.
A distribution system is the second part of building a trickling filter, but it is the first part that meets the water. Distribution systems bring water from different sources to the filter medium. An effective distribution system is capable of distributing the wastewater evenly over the surface of the vehicle. This means that sprinklers are commonly used, so water can spray in all directions.
After the water has passed through the sludge, it meets the third part of the trickling filter, the drainage system. There are normally two arms for this system. An arm is able to take in water after it has passed through the slime, then it can move on to additional treatment by machines or other methods. The other arm catches the excess sludge – and any pollutants it carries with it – as it travels along the filter.
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