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A septic drain field, a septic tank, and associated piping compose a septic system. The drain field typically consists of an arrangement of trenches containing perforated pipes and porous material (often gravel) covered by a layer of soil to prevent animals (and surface runoff) from reaching the wastewater distributed within those trenches. [1]
Unlike the traditional septic system, the aerobic treatment system produces a high quality secondary effluent, which can be sterilized and used for surface irrigation. This allows much greater flexibility in the placement of the leach field, as well as cutting the required size of the leach field by as much as half. [1]
The leaching process in a salty soil to be reclaimed is illustrated in the leaching curves of figure 1, derived from data of the Chacupe pilot area, Peru. [2] It shows the soil salinity in terms of electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil solution with respect its initial value (ECi) as a function of amount of water percolating through the soil.
Otherwise the septic tank fills up and wastewater containing undecomposed material discharges directly to the drainage field. Not only is this detrimental for the environment but, if the sludge overflows the septic tank into the leach field, it may clog the leach field piping or decrease the soil porosity itself, requiring expensive repairs.
Mound systems are an alternative to the traditional rural septic system drain field. They are used in areas where septic systems are prone to failure from extremely permeable or impermeable soils, soil with the shallow cover over porous bedrock, and terrain that features a high water table.
A percolation test (colloquially called a perc test) is a test to determine the water absorption rate of soil (that is, its capacity for percolation) in preparation for the building of a septic drain field (leach field) or infiltration basin. [1] The results of a percolation test are required to design a septic system properly.
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In 2011 leaching, both heap leaching and in-situ leaching, produced 3.4 million metric tons of copper, 22 percent of world production. [8] The largest copper heap leach operations are in Chile, Peru, and the southwestern United States. Although heap leaching is a low cost-process, it normally has recovery rates of 60-70%.