A NEW AND IMPROVED SEPTIC TANK

The author and his company have developed a new septic tank design that produces higher quality effluent than a conventional septic tank. The new patent pending design, called the Super Septic Tank, utilizes conventional anaerobic treatment with no mechanical equipment and no energy input. The Super Septic Tank consists of two compartments or tanks in series. The first compartment is configured as a conventional septic tank with an effluent filter at the outlet end. The second compartment is designed as an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor. A reticulated foam-filled outlet filter is provided at the end of the UASB compartment to provide additional attached growth treatment and suspended solids reduction. A pilot unit has been constructed and effluent testing shows BOD reductions of greater than 80% compared to typical standard two-compartment septic tank BOD reductions of 30 – 60%, and TSS reductions of over 95% compared to typical standard two-compartment septic tank TSS reductions of 50 – 80%. Pilot testing has also shown no detectable fats, oils and grease (FOG) in the Super Septic Tank effluent.