Organic matter removal during pilot-scale soil aquifer treatment for domestic wastewater in the tropics.

The potential of enhancing water uses using soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is an interesting alternative for tropical regions, limited only by lack of knowledge on its performance in local conditions and the feasibility of adapting this technology. A SAT pilot study was conducted to analyze the phenomena associated with the transformation of organic matter (OM) from domestic wastewater. Chemically enhanced primary effluent collected at the Cañaveralejo wastewater treatment plant (Cali, Colombia) was used to feed pilot-scale SAT units at a rate of 1.