Data from a full-scale vermifiltration installation in Geneva, Switzerland

Due to low investment and operational costs, chemical and energy independence, and a high potential to contribute to circular wastewater management practices, vermifiltration (VF) is a globally relevant wastewater treatment solution. In addition, VF is often considered a suitable domestic wastewater treatment solution for reclamation in agriculture. Despite its potential, insufficient knowledge of the full-scale performance and its ability to meet irrigation standards impede VF from being widely implemented. The presented data was collected from two full-scale vermifilters in Switzerland, treating black- and sedimented greywater in parallel, from November 2022 to August 2023. The research aims to determine the need for post-treatment of full-scale vermifilters, the impact of outdoor temperature and seasonality on the treatment performance, as well as the potential for reclamation in agriculture. In addition, the removal efficiencies of organics (BOD5, COD, TSS), nitrogen, phosphorus, fecal indicator bacteria, heavy metals, and organic micropollutants was also evaluated.

The data is presented further the following publications:

Coppens, K., Strande, L., & Stoll, S. (in press). Performance analysis and impact of operating conditions on the treatment capacity of two full-scale vermifilters. Journal of Environmental Management

Coppens, K., Geyer, T., Monod, A., Strande, L., & Stoll, S. (2025). Evaluation of vermifilter-treated domestic wastewater for irrigation and fertigation: opportunities and challenges for implementation [Manuscript submitted for publication].

In the first publication, the operating conditions of both vermifilters are determined empirically for the first time since their commissioning. In addition, the removal efficiencies of organics, solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus are reported, and the role and need for post-treatment of the vermifilter effluents is evaluated. In the second publication, the feasibility of reclamation through irrigation and fertigation from the two vermifilters is analyzed by comparing the effluent quality to various irrigation standards. In addition, the removal efficiencies of metallic trace elements, E. Coli, and 15 organic micropollutants is evaluated. Both studies use the results to propose optimizations, and conclude that full-scale VF, when employing favorable design and operating conditions, is a relevant, reliable, and resilient wastewater treatment solution for both urban and rural areas worldwide.