Journal Article

Effect of Rural Black-Gray Water Treatment by Subsurface Wastewater Infiltration System on Soil Environment of Vegetable Crop Field

Wang, Songmin, Zhang, Chunxue, Zheng, Xiangqun, Liu, Liyuan, Wei, Xiaocheng

2023

Overview

A field trial was conducted in Tianjin to assess the impact of “three-compartment septic tank (SPT) + soil wastewater infiltration system (SWIS)” on vegetable crop soil, determine the SPT effluent quality, and establish the consumer safety of vegetables grown above the SWIS. The effluent total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium-N (NH4+-N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 5-d biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) levels all varied largely every month. The average COD failed to meet the criteria of the Standard for Irrigation Water Quality (No. GB5084-2021) but significantly influenced bacterial community distribution. Hierarchical clustering disclosed seasonal variation in SPT effluent. SWIS treatment of rural black-grey water significantly affected both the vegetable soil TN and TP content, and it promoted microbial community diversity and richness in deep soil. The treatment also increased the relative abundances of the beneficial bacterial genera Thiobacillus and Arthrobacter by more than 320% and decreased the relative abundance of the pathogenic bacterial genus Streptomyces in vegetable soil by more than 20.33%. The faecal coliform levels and ascaris egg mortality rates in the vegetable crop soils lay within published human health and safety thresholds both before and after SWIS treatment. All vegetable crops grown above the SWIS were fit for human consumption. The VC level in the vegetables planted in experimental households were higher than those for the vegetables planted in ordinary households. The present work provides reasonable theoretical and empirical bases for optimising the “SPT + SWIS” process and SPT discharge standards in rural areas.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Abundance / agronomy / Ammonium / ammonium nitrogen / Arthrobacter / Bacteria / bacterial communities / Biochemical oxygen demand / Chemical oxygen demand / China / Cluster analysis / Clustering / coliform bacteria / Crop fields / Crops / edaphic factors / effluent quality / Effluents / eggs / Energy consumption / field experimentation / Greywater / Households / human health and safety / humans / Hygiene / Infiltration / Infiltration (Hydrology) / Irrigation water / Microorganisms / mortality / Nitrogen / Pollutants / product safety / Purification / Relative abundance / Rural areas / Safety / Seasonal distribution / seasonal variation / Seasonal variations / septic systems / Septic tanks / Sewage / soil / Soil ecology / Soil environment / Soil infiltration / soil wastewater infiltration system / Soils / Streptomyces / Thiobacillus / three-compartment septic tank / Toilet facilities / total nitrogen / total phosphorus / vegetable crop / vegetable crops / Vegetables / wastewater / Wastewater treatment / Water quality / Water quality standards / Water treatment