Domestic Wastewater Reuse in Concrete Using Bench-Scale Testing and Full-Scale Implementation

Demand for fresh water by the construction sector is expected to increase due to the high increase in the growth of construction activities in Jordan. This study aims to evaluate the potential of scale-up of the application of treated domestic wastewater in concrete from bench-scale to a full-scale. On the lab scale, concrete and mortar mixes using Primary and Secondary Treated Wastewater (PTW, STW) and Distilled Water (DW) were cast and tested after various curing ages (7, 28, 120, and 200 days). Based on wastewater quality, according to IS 456-2000, the STW is suitable for mortar and concrete production. Mortar made with STW at curing time up to 200 days has no significant negative effect on the mortar’s compressive strength. Conversely, the PTW exceeded the maximum permissible limits of total organic content and E coli. for concrete mixing-water. Using PTW results, a significant increase in the initial setting time of up to 16.7% and a decrease in the concrete workability are observed. In addition, using PTW as mixing water led to a significant reduction in the compressive strength up to 19.6%. The results that came out from scaling up to real production operation of ready-mix concrete were in harmony with the lab-scale results

Grey Water Reuse for Agricultural Purposes in the Jordan Valley: Household Survey Results in Deir Alla

Installation of decentralized grey water treatment systems in small rural communities contributes to a more sustainable water supply. In order to gauge community attitudes about collection and use of grey water, a door-to-door survey in the farming community of Deir Alla, Jordan was conducted by Royal Scientific Society interviewers. Outcomes of a detailed survey, designed specifically for this project, offer insights on people’s views on general water and wastewater issues, as well as their motivation, practices and concerns related to using grey water treatment for a portion of their household wastewater and reuse of the treated grey water for irrigation. A total of 47 respondents from different socio-economic background, aged over 18 years, from this community in the Jordan valley took part in the survey. The level of formal education of the respondents was low, and most of households’ incomes were below the poverty line in Jordan. Most of the respondents reported that the quality of water supplied by public network is acceptable, but the quantity is insufficient to meet their demand, with supplies being delivered to the household once a week. Respondents relied on the public water network as a first-most important resource (85.1%), and 57.4% of the respondent relied on private water tankers as a second-most important resource in addition to the public network. However, 6% of the respondents relied only on private water tankers with no access to the public network. Storage tanks are common practice in all the houses in order to store enough water for at least one week. The survey responses provide evidence that rural communities are willing to accept reuse of treated grey water for irrigation. Furthermore, some of people in the studied area are willing to learn more about grey water treatment and reuse in order to operate grey water systems for irrigation purposes. Water scarcity in this rural area of Jordan is the main determinant of willingness to reuse the grey water, rather than socio-economic variables

Characterisation and Reverse Engineering of Eco-Friendly Historical Mortar: Qasr Tuba, Desert Castles in Jordan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mineral composition of the historical mortars of Qasr Tuba and to re-produce them for the restoration process. The mortar samples were collected from the foundation and walls of Qasr Tuba. The chemical and mineral composition of the mortar was determined using several techniques. In addition, the quantitative minerals content was recalculated for the mortar samples utilizing the material balances equation. Moreover, 12 mixtures of mortar were prepared and tested for fresh and hardened properties, according to their respective national and international standards. The results revealed that two types of mortar were used: (i) the lime-based mortar was used for the foundation and joint mortars in the lower parts of the building walls with a gypsum-hydrated lime ratio of 1:3; and (ii) the gypsum-based mortar was used as joint mortar in the upper parts of the building walls for baked bricks at a gypsum-hydrated lime ratio of 4:1. A pozzolanic reaction in the Qasr Tuba mortar produced a new formation of Xonotlite, Stratlingite, and calcium aluminium hydrate as a secondary cementing mineral. In conclusion, the use of hydraulic lime mortar was considered for building an environment for capturing the CO2 gas

Influence of grey water on physical and mechanical properties of mortar and concrete mixes

This project aims to evaluate the potential of reused grey water in concrete and mortar in order to preserve fresh water for drinking purposes. Using both Treated Grey Water and Raw Grey Water (TGW and RGW, respectively) led to a significant increase in the initial setting time and a decrease in the concrete slump value. In addition, there was no effect on mortar soundness properties. The mortar and concrete compressive strength results obtained at 7 days moist curing time showed a significant increase. Mortar and concrete mixes using TGW cast at curing times of 28, 120, and 200 days led to no significant effects on compressive strength. On the contrary, the RGW achieved slightly negative impact on compressive strength at all curing ages. According to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM C109), TGW and RGW are suitable for mortar and concrete production. Furthermore, these results are in harmony with established requirements for ASTM C94.In conclusion, TGW and RGW are potential alternatives for fresh water in the concrete manufacturing industry. Keywords: Grey water, Compressive strength, Mixing water, Concrete, Morta

Efficacy of <i>Sterculia diversifolia</i> Leaf Extracts: Volatile Compounds, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity, and Green Synthesis of Potential Antibacterial Silver Nanoparticles

Sterculia diversifolia, widely distributed in Jordan as an ornamental plant, is a synonoum for Brachychiton populneus. Phytochemical studies examining the volatile chemicals in Sterculia diversifolia leaves are limited, despite the rising demand for their numerous applications. Furthermore, it was only recently that a report described the friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extract derived from Brachychiton populneus leaves. Therefore, AgNPs were produced using either aqueous plant extracts (AgWPE) or ethanolic plant extracts (AgEPE), and Shimadzu GC-MS equipment was used to detect volatile compounds in the ethanolic leaf extracts. GC-MS profile of leaf ethanolic extracts of the Jordanian chemotypes of S. diversifolia revealed the existence of major components: (3β)-Lup-20(29)-en-3-ol acetate (30.97%) and 1-octadecyne (24.88). Other compounds are squalene (7.19%), germanicol (6.23), dl-α-tocopherol (5.24), heptacosane (4.41), phytol (3.54) and pentacosane (2.89). According to published studies, these reported chemicals have numerous uses, including as animal feed, vitamin precursors, possible eco-friendly herbicides, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory agents. Aqueous extracts of S. diversifolia leaves had total phenolic of 5.33 mg GAE/g extract and flavonoid contents of 64.88 mg QE/g extract, respectively. The results indicated the contribution of phenolic and flavonoids to this plant’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The reduction in AgNO3 to AgNPs using S. diversifolia leaf extracts was confirmed by the change in solution color from colorless to dark black. Further characterization was attempted by X-ray diffraction, Malvern zeta-sizer and scanning electron microscope. The efficacy of synthesized Ag nanoparticles using aqueous or ethanolic plant extract of S. diversifolia against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus showed appreciable activity at 25 µg/mL concentration compared to the source plant extracts