Phycoremediation of artificial bathroom greywater in village houses using microalgae botryococcus sp.

The sources of water pollution in Malaysia are domestic sewage and industrial waste. Direct discharge of household bathroom greywater into drains cause euthrophication into the water bodies. Phycoremediation of bathroom greywater effluent to meet a certain level of discharge limit using microalgae Botryococcus sp. is suggested. The objectives of this study is to asses quality of nutrients in raw bathroom greywater, produce artificial bathroom greywater (ABGW) recipe with Response Surface Methodology, to study biokinetic absorption of microalgae through phycoremediation. To optimize Botryococcus sp. cell concentration, pH and the efficiency of laboratory scale treatment system with Botryococcus sp. was observed. The first objective results shown that NO3-N and PO4-P were 1.03-7.54 & 0.12-22.7 mg/L respectively and 63 L/c/day was discharged to drains as raw bathroom greywater. Secondly, ABGW recipe for soap, detergent, shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste were 0.13, 0.97, 0.88, 0.34, 0.37 mg/L respectively and pH= 6.55. The optimum concentration of Botryococcus sp. was 106 cells/mL and pH 7 for the third objective. Fourthly, the efficiency of Botryococcus sp. in removing NO3-N was 97% and PO4-P 87% in ABGW on the 30th day of phycoremediation, while biokinetic absorption rate using Michaelis-Menten coefficient were K =0.46 mgNO3-N mg/chl a/day & mK =12.501 mg/L (R2 = 0.83) and PO4-P coefficients were K =8.53 mgPO4-P mg/chl a/day & Km =176.88 mg/L (R2 = 0.94). Lastly, the efficiency of Botryococcus sp. in laboratory scale treatment system was 90.98% and 93.88% for NO3-N while 80.9% and 83% for PO4-P on the 13th day of phycoremediation in ABGW and raw bathroom greywater respectively. Statistically, algal days of culture, growth of algae, pH, temperature and light correlated well (p<0.05 & 0.01) influencing high nutrient removal in the system. Therefore, this proves that Botryococcus sp. has high potential to absorb NO3-N and PO4-P from household bathroom greywater. Hence, the system of this study represents an effective solution for remediation of bathroom greywater

Phycoremediation of artificial bathroom greywater in village houses using microalgae botryococcus sp.

The sources of water pollution in Malaysia are domestic sewage and industrial waste. Direct discharge of household bathroom greywater into drains cause euthrophication into the water bodies. Phycoremediation of bathroom greywater effluent to meet a certain level of discharge limit using microalgae Botryococcus sp. is suggested. The objectives of this study is to asses quality of nutrients in raw bathroom greywater, produce artificial bathroom greywater (ABGW) recipe with Response Surface Methodology, to study biokinetic absorption of microalgae through phycoremediation. To optimize Botryococcus sp. cell concentration, pH and the efficiency of laboratory scale treatment system with Botryococcus sp. was observed. The first objective results shown that NO3-N and PO4-P were 1.03-7.54 & 0.12-22.7 mg/L respectively and 63 L/c/day was discharged to drains as raw bathroom greywater. Secondly, ABGW recipe for soap, detergent, shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste were 0.13, 0.97, 0.88, 0.34, 0.37 mg/L respectively and pH= 6.55. The optimum concentration of Botryococcus sp. was 106 cells/mL and pH 7 for the third objective. Fourthly, the efficiency of Botryococcus sp. in removing NO3-N was 97% and PO4-P 87% in ABGW on the 30th day of phycoremediation, while biokinetic absorption rate using Michaelis-Menten coefficient were K =0.46 mgNO3-N mg/chl a/day & mK =12.501 mg/L (R2 = 0.83) and PO4-P coefficients were K =8.53 mgPO4-P mg/chl a/day & Km =176.88 mg/L (R2 = 0.94). Lastly, the efficiency of Botryococcus sp. in laboratory scale treatment system was 90.98% and 93.88% for NO3-N while 80.9% and 83% for PO4-P on the 13th day of phycoremediation in ABGW and raw bathroom greywater respectively. Statistically, algal days of culture, growth of algae, pH, temperature and light correlated well (p<0.05 & 0.01) influencing high nutrient removal in the system. Therefore, this proves that Botryococcus sp. has high potential to absorb NO3-N and PO4-P from household bathroom greywater. Hence, the system of this study represents an effective solution for remediation of bathroom greywater

The Use of Natural Filter Media Added with Peat Soil for Household Greywater Treatment

Greywater is wastewater that produces 50-80% of overall water consumption in a house. In many village houses of Malaysia, the household greywater that comes from kitchen, laundry, bathroom and sinks is usually untreated and discharged directly into streams or rivers. This phenomenon escalates the pollution among Malaysian rivers. This study examines the effects of household greywater treated with locally available peat soil. This study was performed by using a two-stage filter media (i) pre-treatment (gravel + sand) (ii) peat based (peat + charcoal + gravel). Effects of filtration on the peat soil were examined via the one-dimensional consolidation test and X-Ray Fluorescence Test (XRF). Removal efficiency of the greywater effluent was found to be TSS- 81%, BOD- 54%, COD – 52% and AN - 87%. pH of the greywater was improved from acidic (4.6) to neutral (6.9). Quality of the treated greywater complied with the limits of the Malaysian Standard (Standard B) for wastewater effluent discharge. The consolidation test was affected and became slower. XRF test indicates that peat soil has an increased amount of the inorganic content of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) and Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3) associated with the absorption of certain elements in greywater. The peat based filter resulted in a substantial removal of pollutants. Further study is needed to look in depth the mechanism of adsorption and its applicability in a large scale processes.Keywords- greywater, peat soil, filter media, sand, gravel, charcoa

Energy Recovery from Polyethylene Terephthalate(PET) Recycling Process

Solid waste generation especially from plastics increase every year due to the current consumption habit in the society. The improper disposal of plastics has been a major concern to environment as they are not easily degradable. In this study, energy derived from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle recycling process were studied. Raw and used PET samples were produced by using injection moulding machine. The amount of energy recovered upon production was calculated by using Universal Testing Machine. The effect of temperature and pressure during production on raw and used PET plastics were measured. Temperature at 260 oC and 7 Mpa pressure gave highest energy production. The results of raw and used PET samples exhibit comparable amount of energy 0.8J and 2.044 x 10-4MJ/Kg - 2.0635 x 10-4MJ/Kg respectively. Generally, used PET (260oC and 6 Mpa) were to be reprocessed to regain the significant energy production that are lost upon discarding. Mechanical tests were conducted on the PET and were compared with HDPE to study the temperature effect on the mechanical properties. PET show decrement of average hardness value 8.99 % after filled with hot water at 100 ºC. The increased of hot water filling temperature subsequently reduced the tensile strength and hardness value for both HDPE and PET. From this experiment, it is expected that energy recovery derived through the PET recycling can be optimized as part of an integrated waste management strategy