Creating Mini Wastewater Treatment Plants

II. INTRODUCTION

One of the world’s major concerns is the adequate source of clean water.
Water is one of the most valuable resources. Water is life and clean water is a
human right. But access to clean water and scarcity of water supply has been a
problem for several years specifically in developing countries. According to
UNEP/UNHABITAT, wastewater is a combination of one or more of domestic effluent
consisting of blackwater (excreta, urine and faecal sludge) and greywater (kitchen
and bathing wastewater); water from commercial establishments and institutions,
including hospitals; industrial effluent, stormwater and other urban run-off;
agricultural, horticultural and aquaculture effluent, either dissolved or as suspended
matter” (Corcoran et al, 2010). Wastewater contains many harmful substances and
cannot be released back into the environment until it is treated. Thus, wastewater
treatment is important. The general objective of the wastewater treatment is to
achieve improvements in the quality of the water before reuse or disposal in the
environment, without danger to human health and damage to the environment.

There are several steps in the wastewater treatment process, and it varies
depending on the contaminants present in the water and applicable treatment
regulations. Typically, a wastewater treatment plant includes: (1) Collection; (2)
Screening and Straining; (3) Chemical Addition; (4) Coagulation and Flocculation; (5)
Sedimentation and Clarification; (6) Filtration; (7) Disinfection; (8) Storage; (9) and
finally Distribution.

Filtration is a common technology and it plays an important role in the

treatment of wastewater. Filtration is a process that removes or separates particles
from water and wastewater by passing it through a porous medium. It can be
compared to a sieve that traps suspended material between the grains of filter
media. It can remove almost any impurities from water. Filtration primarily depends
on a combination of complex physical and chemical mechanisms such as
adsorption. Adsorption is the process of particles sticking onto the surface of the
individual filter grains or onto the previously deposited materials. Figure 2 illustrates
the difference between the two removal mechanisms in filtration: mechanical and
adsorption.
 Figure 1. Conventional activated sludge process
(Source: A.T. Besha et al, 2017; E. Drioli & L. Giorno, 2009)

Figure 2. Removal mechanisms in filtration

(Source: http://mrwa.com/WaterWorksMnl/ Chapter%2018%20Filtration.pdf)

Engineers play roles in the design, development and implementation of

wastewater treatment and delivery systems. In this activity, engineering students will
evaluate the design of a small- size model working filter systems that can be used in
wastewater treatment plants.

III. OBJECTIVES

This study aims to:

1. Remove the water contaminants while reclaiming the waste material as

valuable resources.
2. Design and build the filtering systems, redesigning for improvement, and then
measuring and comparing results
 3. Conduct common water quality tests (such as turbidity, pH, etc., as
determined by the teacher) to check the water quality before and after
treatment.

IV. MATERIALS

a. Materials for Simulated Wastewater

Figure 3. 1tbsp Vegetable Oil Figure 4. 2tbsp Liquid Soap Figure 5. 1.5L water

Figure 6. 1tbsp Coffee Grounds Figure 7. 2tbsp Fertilizer Figure 8. Tablespoon

Figure 9. 1tbsp Plastic Beads Figure 10. 2tbsp Sand

 b. Materials for Treatment Plants

Figure 11. 2L Clear Water Bottle Figure 12. Coffee Filters Figure 13. Sand

Figure 14. Activated Charcoal Figure 15. Pebbles Figure 16. Cotton mesh

Figure 17. Gravel

V. METHODS

Gathering of Materials. The researcher will gather the materials for the
simulated water (vegetable oil, liquid soap, water, coffee grounds, fertilizer,
tablespoon, plastic beads, and sand) and materials for treatment plants (clear water
bottle, coffee filters, sand, activated charcoal, pebbles, cotton mesh, and gravel).

Preparing of Wastewater. In 1.5 liters of water, pour all the materials for
simulated water with each of its exact amount and stir the mixtures.
 Treatment Plant Design 1. Using the clear water bottle, put coffee filter inside
and fill it with 500g of pebbles, and put another coffee filter to fill it with 500g of
gravel.

Treatment Plant Design 2. With the same procedure in treatment plant design
1, put 2 coffee filters inside the clear water bottle and fill it with 500g pebbles, put 2
coffee filters on top of it and put inside the 1/3m 2 cotton mesh before putting the
400g sand.

Treatment Plant Design 3. With only using 1 coffee filter inside the clear water
bottle, fill it with 350g of sand.

Gathering of Data. The researchers will then gather data by testing the
turbidity. To test the water quality of the filtered water, the researchers will compare it
to the original wastewater and measure each of their turbidity.
 Gathering of Materials Preparing of Wastewater

Treatment Plant Design 1 Treatment Plant Design 2

Gathering of Data
Treatment Plant Design 3

Figure 18. Data Collection Method

VI. DATA AND RESULTS

Table 1 shows the turbidity of the water before and after filtering the
wastewater by treatment plant 1 (1 coffee filter, 500g pebbles, 1 coffee filter, and
500g gravel), treatment plant 2 (2 coffee filters, 500g pebbles, 2 coffee filters, 1/3 m 2
cotton mesh, and 400g sand), and treatment plant 3 (1 coffee filter and 350g sand).
The results showed that treatment plant 3 has the lowest turbidity with 40 JTU, which
means that there are fewer particles in the water and it is clearer. While treatment
plant 2 has the highest turbidity with 70 JTU, which means that there are a lot of
particles suspended in the water and light cannot get through.
Table 1. Turbidity of wastewater treatment plants
Treatment Turbidity
Plant # Not filtered (wastewater) Filtered
1 100 JTU 50 JTU
2 100 JTU 70 JTU
3 100 JTU 40 JTU

Turbidity

Not filtered Treatment plant 1 Treatment plant 2 Treatment plant 3

Figure 19. Graph of turbidity of wastewater treatment plants

The figure shows that among the three treatment plants, treatment plant 2 has
the biggest portion of the graph which means it has the highest turbidity among the
three, while treatment plant 2 has the lowest portion which means lowest turbidity.

VII. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the experiment conducted, the wastewater which is not filtered with
a turbidity of 100 JTU got less turbidity when it was filtered by three different
treatment plants. The 100 JTU wastewater was filtered by treatment plant 1 (1 coffee
filter, 500g pebbles, 1 coffee filter, and 500g gravel) and got a turbidity of 50 JTU. In
treatment plant 2 (2 coffee filters, 500g pebbles, 2 coffee filters, 1/3 m 2 cotton mesh,
and 400g sand), the turbidity became 70 JTU which has the highest turbidity among
the three treatment plants. Lastly, the turbidity in treatment plant 3 became 40 JTU
which is the lowest turbidity among the three.

Table 2 shows the difference of turbidity among the three different treatment
plants before and after the wastewater was filtered.

Table 2. Difference of turbidity of wastewater treatment plants

Treatment plant 1 Treatment plant 2 Treatment plant 3
Before After Before After Before After
100 JTU 50 JTU 100 JTU 70 JTU 100 JTU 40 JTU

VIII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The preceding findings led the researcher to conclude that the wastewater
treatment plants are effective in clearing the water and suspending particles. Also,
the water after filtering shows water clarity than the wastewater which is not filtered.

Based on the findings and conclusions drawn from the study, the following
recommendations are proposed:

1. Future researchers should use other different methods for testing wastewater.
2. Future researchers should have more treatment plants design.

IX. REFERENCES

A.T. Besha et al. (2017). Removal of emerging micropollutants by activated sludge

process and membrane bioreactors and the effects of micropollutants on
membrane fouling: A review

E. Drioli & L. Giorno. (2009). Membrane Operations: Innovative Separations and

Transformations.
TeachEngineering. (01 October 2018). Creating Mini Wastewater Treatment Plants
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vovK75C4hY.

United Nations Environmental Protection (UNEP)/United Nations Habitat

(UNHABITAT). A Rapid Response Assessment: Sick Water? The Central Role
of Wastewater Management in Sustainable Development.
QUESTIONS

1. How effective at cleaning the water is the filter device shown in the YouTube?
Be descriptive.

According to the results of the trial, wastewater that was not filtered
and had a turbidity of 100 JTU had reduced turbidity after being filtered by
three different treatment plants. Treatment plant 1 (1 coffee filter, 500g
pebbles, 1 coffee filter, and 500g gravel) filtered the 100 JTU wastewater,
resulting in a turbidity of 50 JTU. The turbidity in treatment plant 2 (two coffee
filters, 500g pebbles, two coffee filters, 1/3 m2 cotton mesh, and 400g sand)
reached 70 JTU, the highest of the three treatment plants. Finally, the turbidity
in treatment plant 3 dropped to 40 JTU, the lowest of the three. The
wastewater treatment plants are effective at clearing water and suspending
particles based on the previous data.

2. Aside from turbidity, enumerate other possible five (5) water quality monitoring
parameters that can be employed in the experiment. Explain the importance
of each parameter.

PARAMETER IMPORTANCE/PURPOSE
Temperature Temperature affects their metabolism, reproduction and
emergence. Temperature also affects the rate of
photosynthesis of aquatic plants, the base of the aquatic
food web. Pollutants can become more toxic at higher
temperatures.
Dissolved oxygen The amount of dissolved oxygen becomes lower as the
water becomes warmer.
pH High pH causes a bitter taste, water pipes and water-using
appliances become encrusted with deposits, and it
depresses the effectiveness of the disinfection of chlorine,
thereby causing the need for additional chlorine when pH
is high. Low-pH water will corrode or dissolve metals and
other substances.
Conductivity Conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to pass an
electrical current. Because dissolved salts and other
 inorganic chemicals conduct electrical current, conductivity
increases as salinity increases.
ORP Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) measures the ability
of a lake or river to cleanse itself or break down waste
products, such as contaminants and dead plants and
animals. When the ORP value is high, there is lots of
oxygen present in the water.