Combination of Low-Cost Technologies for Pig Slurry Purification under Semiarid Mediterranean Conditions

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland. The intensive pig production has been causing huge amounts of pig slurry with high content of potential pollutants. However, there is a lack of information on the efficiency of combined techniques applied to pig slurry purification. The objective of this research was to assess the pollutant removal efficiency and pathogenic microorganism decrease using mechanical treatments, phytoextraction, and microalgae bioremediation. The purification system was located in the southeast of Spain. Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters were studied in each module of treatment. We observed significant declines for total suspended solids (89 %), settleable solids (100 %), chemical oxygen demand (91 %), biochemical oxygen demand (90 %), total phosphorus (97 %), copper (96 %), zinc (92 %), total nitrogen (89 %), total coliforms (78 %), fecal coliforms (70 %), fecal streptococcus (75 %), Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli (100 %) in the final effluent of the combined purification system. This survey pointed out the effectiveness of phytoextraction and bioremediation treatments. The results indicated the high efficiency of the purification system, minimizing environmental and human risks.