Applied Chemical Engineering

Physical treatment of wastewater in Ramadi Hospital using zeolite and natural sand

Hala Arshad Ali

Upper Euphrates center for sustainable Development Research, University of Anbar, Ramadi, 31001, Iraq

Dina T. Hammody

Upper Euphrates center for sustainable Development Research, University of Anbar, Ramadi, 31001, Iraq

Osama Khamees Ali

Upper Euphrates center for sustainable Development Research, University of Anbar, Ramadi, 31001, Iraq

Areej Hamad Hassan

Upper Euphrates center for sustainable Development Research, University of Anbar, Ramadi, 31001, Iraq

Asmaa M. Hamed

Upper Euphrates center for sustainable Development Research, University of Anbar, Ramadi, 31001, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i2.5942

Keywords: wastewater treatment, heavy minerals, natural zeolite, sand filtration, sustainable development, ammonia nitrogen removal, hospital effluent

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Abstract

Water quality is a huge challenge in Iraq due to insufficient modern infrastructure for the effective treatment of wastewater, which leads to the release of non-purified effluents into river ecosystems and increases the risks for human beings' health significantly. The purpose of this research is the evaluation of white sand and natural zeolite performance as environmentally friendly and energy-saving filtration materials in removing pollutants from hospital wastewater. Multi-layer filtration systems were designed to investigate the effectiveness of both materials independently, and then to conduct the study of the combined use of the Sand-Zeolite filter under different operating conditions (flow rate, hydraulic retention time, HRT).
The data obtained during the experiment prove that the combination of filtration materials improves their effectiveness in purifying wastewater from various pollutants. For instance, the efficiency of EC purification increased up to 89%, whereas TDS was removed on 69%. Moreover, the combined use of sand and zeolite demonstrated outstanding results in reducing organic load, and both BOD and COD decreased by 93% and 75%, respectively. The analysis showed that TBC was removed on 88%. Ammonia removal by the filter of the dual structure increased up to 99.6%, whereas individual use of filters resulted in the removal of ammonia by 99% (sand) and 99.7% (zeolite). It is also important to mention the efficiency of nitrate purification by Sand-Zeolite filter (64%), whereas the removal efficiency of nitrites was 56%. Sulfate (100%) and phosphorus (89%) were completely removed from wastewater by the tested filter. Heavy minerals' purification results indicated a complete removal of iron (Fe, 100%) and zinc (100%). As to chromium (87%), copper (86%) and nickel (51%) purification results, they can also be considered excellent.
Thus, the combination of the filtration properties of white sand and zeolite proves to be a sustainable approach to purifying wastewater. The proposed methodology allows creating high-quality reclaimed water. The technology is extremely promising and affordable.

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