APOC technology as an eco-innovative decentralized sanitation system for wastewater treatment and reuse facilities in the rural locality of Bent Saidane-NE Tunisia

Decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) in rural areas can be a smart alternative that helps communities to strengthen rural sanitation in improving clean water and sanitation management. To address these challenges, AquaCycle project, funded by the European Union under the ENI CBC MED Program, aims to bring an eco-innovative APOC system that combines anaerobic digestion (AD), constructed wetland (CW), and solar photocatalytic oxidation (SPO) for decentralized wastewater rural sanitation in a cost-effective, economic, green, sustainable, and environmental healthy, manner. The APOC system will be established in the rural locality of Bent Saidane (Governorate of Zaghouan, Northern East of Tunisia) as an appropriate implementation site with a 90.12 km2 area and a flow capacity of 5 to 25 m3/day. About one hectare will be planned for treated wastewater irrigation purposes. Based on the annual average values of the physicochemical and bacteriological raw wastewater quality, a spontaneous biodegradability was noted. Compared to conventional wastewater systems, APOC system will provide reliability, affordability, environmental and financial benefits, that make such system particularly appropriate for rural sanitation in relation to the transition to the circular economy.