Biodigester Septic Tank
What is the Biodigester Septic Tank?
What are the advantages of Embrapa's Biodigester Septic Tank in comparison with traditional systems?
One of the advantages of the Biodigester Septic Tank is the use of effluents (treated sewage) in agriculture as a means to recycle water and organic and inorganic compounds (nitrogen, phosphotus, potassium, etc), which are absorbed by plants in their process of growth. From an environmental point of view, this is an excellent solution as it prevents the excessive use of commercial chemical fertilizers and also protects the environment (rivers, lakes, watersheds and soils). In a house with 5 people, the Septic Tank will produce around 90 liters of biofertilizers a day.
What are the requirements and criteria to set up a Biodigester Septic Tank?
Embrapa recommends the following criteria to choose a place for installation:
Can the Biodigester Septic Tank be built with bricks?
Where can the materials required for the assembly of the Biodigester Septic Tank be found?
It is possible to replace manure with another product?
The Biodigester Septic Tank was projected to treat sewage from toilets with the application of bovine manure, which works as an inoculant (additive) in the biological process. The use of sheep manure was tested; however, it did not present the same efficiency as cow manure. Thus, in view of the current stage of research, we recommend the application of bovine manure once a month. Future studies could be made with other types, to expand possibilities.
Does the system give off unpleasant odours?
Do insects and small animals proliferate there?
Can the effluent be used in any crop?
Filter Garden
What it is the Filter Garden?
The Filter Garden is a technology adapted by Embrapa Instrumentation whose purpose is the treatment of domestic sewage characterized as gray water, that is, liquids from sinks, tanks, showers, washing machines, kitchens and others that are rich in soaps, detergents and fats. The sewage from toilets are treated by the Biodigester Septic Tank, which are biological reactors that can be easily built and that generate organic fertilizer at the end of the process.
What is the Filter Garden's operating principle?
Experiments led by Embrapa pointed to an efficient removal of organic substances through the interface between microorganisms with the roots of aquatic plants (macrophytes), which are fully adapted to saturated aquatic environments. These elements are attracted to the organic compounds present in the graywater, ensuring efficiency in the treatment.
What is the recommendable use for the water from the Filter Garden? Can it be used for fish farming?
The most recommendable use of the effluents (graywater treated in the Filter Garden) is the irrigation of gardens and plants in the rural property, as a complement and not an exclusive source of irrigation water. Until the present moment, Embrapa has not conducted any kind of research regarding the reuse of such water for fish farming or residential use.
Can I connect the Septic Tank to the Filter Garden?
It is possible to use the Filter Garden jointly with the Biodigester Septic Tank, receiving the sewer treat to this last one. However, the best use of the biofertilizer generated by the Septic Tank is in farming, as it is a compost with high nutritional properties (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter) that will improve the performance of agriculture in the place it is applied.
Embrapa Chlorinator
What is the Embrapa Chlorinator?
The Embrapa Chlorinator is a very cheap, easily installable and simple technology to chlorinate the water from reservoirs (water tanks) in rural residences. It can be assembled by the residents themselves, with materials found in construction material stores. Its main benefit is that it disinfects the water used in the house, promoting health.
How frequently is the chlorinator used?
Applying chlorine in the recommended frequency (1x day) and dosage (1 spoon of granular chlorine) is essential. The chlorine concentration in the water decreases with time, hence the need to add it to the reservoir every day, even if the whole tank volume is not used. In that case, even if a small overload in the water tank's chlorine concentration occurs, there are no consumption-related health issues. Occasionally, there can be alterations to the water taste, which can be eliminated with small commercial activated carbon water filters, if that is the case. The benefits from the ingestion of chlorinated water, even with a slight chlorine taste, far exceed the health problems related to contamination.
Does the chlorinated water from the chlorinator interfere in the use of the Biodigester Septic Tank?
No, it does not, because the chlorine concentration stipulated for domestic consumption (0.2 to 2.0 mg/L) does not interfere with the microbial activity in the septic tank.
The water in my property comes from a well and is clean, tasteless, odorless, fresh. Why do I have to apply chlorine to it?
The microorganisms that cause diarrhea, verminoses, and other diseases are microscopical, that is, they are not visible to the naked eye. Even thought the water does not taste or smell bad, it can still be contaminated, a common situation in rural wells.
What are the advantages of applying chlorine through the Embrapa Chlorinator?
The advantage of the chlorinator is the disinfection of all the water consumed in the residence, which includes water for showers, toothbrushing, and other uses. By using it, the risk of residents' forgetting to put the hypochlorite in their water is eliminated, and all the water in the residence will be germfree.