Table 2.3 Treatment of various wastewater using vermifiltration (Patel 2018)
Sr.
no.
Types of
wastewater
Earthworm
species
Organics
removal
(%)
Nutrient
removal
(%)
Bed material and
size
HLR
(m
3
/
m
2
d)
HRT
(h)
1
Sewage
Eisenia
fetida
BOD
98, COD
45, TSS
90
-
Pure soil, sand
(10–12 mm),
gravel (7.5, of
3.5–4.5)
-
1 –2
2
Dairy
industry
effluent
Earthworm
BOD
98, COD
80–90,
TSS 90–
95, TDS
90–92
–
Pure soil, sand
(10–12 mm),
gravel (7.5, of
3.5–4.5)
–
6–10
3
Synthetic
sewage
Eisenia
fetida
COD
83.6
TN
63, TP
86.7,
NH3-N
70.5
Cobblestones (6–
10 cm), soil,
sawdust
0.2
48,
72, 96
4
Urban
wastewater
Perionyx
sansibaricus
COD 80–
90, TSS
88.6,
TDS 99.8
No3
92.7,
Po3-4
98.3
Surface vegetation, soil, dried
leaves, sawdust,
small stones (5–
7 cm), large
stones (10–
15 cm)
–
1
5
Cheese
whey
Eisenia
fetida
BOD
76, COD
82, TSS
77
TN
60, TP
77
Ligneous mature
compost, stones
0.04
–
6
Sewage
Eisenia
fetida
BOD
98, COD
70, TDS
95
–
Garden soil, sand,
aggregates (3–5,
7–8 cm)
–
2
7
Rural
domestic
sewage
Eisenia
fetida
BOD
78, COD
67.6, TSS
89.8
NH+
4 92.1
Ceramsite (3–
5 mm)
4.2
1
8
Synthetic
wastewater
Eisenia
fetida
BOD
96, COD
90, TDS
82
–
Vermicompost,
riverbed material
(6–8 mm), sand
(1– 2 mm),
gravels (10–
12.5 mm)
1.5,
2, 2.5,
3
9
Urban
wastewater
Eisenia
fetida
BOD
98.5,
COD
74.3, TSS
96.6
NH+
4 99.1
Vermicompost,
quartz sand,
gravel (40 mm)
2.6,
1.3,
0.8,
0.6
2,
4, 6, 8
(continued)
2 Vermifiltration for Rural Wastewater Treatment
29