Table 1.1
Application of vermifiltration technique with associated process parameters for the treatment of sewage and industrial effluents
Wastewater
Flow
direction
Earthworm
species
Earthworm
density
Macrophyte
(if any)
Dimensions
(L
 W
 H) (cm)
Filter bed
HRT
(h)
OLR
(kg COD/
m
3
/d)
HLR
(m
3
/
m
2
/d)
Duration
(d)
Organic
removal
(%)
Nutrient
removal (%)
Pathogen
removal
(%)
References
Bedding material
(top to bottom) and
thickness (in cm)
Synthetic
wastewater
spiked with
sewage
Vertical
Eisenia
fetida
10,000 earthworms/m
3
–
30
 25
 60
Gravel and
vermicompost (30);
sand (10); and
coarse gravel (15)
6
–
1.3
70
COD: 74;
BOD: 85
–
TC; FC;
FS;
E. coli:
99
Arora et al.
(2014)
Pharmaceutical
wastewater
Vertical
Eudrilus
eugeniae
–
–
Sand; vermicast and
fine soil
24–96 0.8–3.2
–
–
BOD:
86–97;
COD:
84–97
–
–
Dhadse
et al.
(2010)
Human faeces Vertical
Eisenia
fetida
4 kg/m
2
–
37
 27
 25.5
Coir; woodchip;
mixture of coir and
woodchip; mixture
of coir; woodchip
and vermicompost
–
–
–
360
COD:
87–89
TP: 56–59
E. coli:
99
Furlong
et al.
(2014)
Sewage
Vertical
Eisenia
fetida
5000–6000
earthworms/m
3
–
100
 100
 150
Fine gravel (20);
worm active zone
(20); sand and compost (50);
fine
gravel (40); coarse
gravel (20)
–
–
2
45
COD: 80 Nitrate: 60
–
Ghasemi
et al.
(2019)
Gelatine industry wastewater
–
Lumbricus
rubellus
–
–
900
 700
 100
Sawdust; cow dung;
Leucaena
leucocephala
foliage; bovine
urine
–
–
–
180
COD: 90;
BOD: 89
–
–
Ghatnekar
et al.
(2010)
Sewage
Vertical
Eisenia
fetida,
10,000 earthworms/m
3
–
25
 20
 30
Vermicompost (5)
–
–
2.5
90
BOD: 88;
TOC: 85
NH
3 -N: 86 FC: 99
Kumar
et al.
(2016)
Eudrilus
eugeniae
River bed material
(20)
BOD: 70;
TOC: 62
NH
3 -N: 74 FC: 90
Sewage
Vertical
Eisenia
andrei
3000 earthworms/m
2
–
400
 250
 200
Chaff;
fine wood
flour and turf (30);
coarse wood
flour
and chaff (40);
coarse quartz sand
(10) and
fine quartz
sand (20)
–
–
1
365
BOD
5 :
89, COD:
84
TN: 35; TP:
24
–
Li et al.
(2009)