Vol. 12, Special Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Shrankhla Mishra and Sanjay Satpute

Abstract:
Due to the increasing influx of household wastewater into the village pond, the pond's water quality began to deteriorate, making it unsuitable for irrigation. Consequently, a study was conducted to improve the pond water's suitability for irrigation using various filter media. Five types of filter media, namely biochar, activated charcoal, zeolite, fine sand, and coarse sand, were individually tested to enhance the quality of the pond water for irrigation. Water quality parameters including BOD, COD, TDS, TSS, TS, pH, and EC were assessed before and after passing through the filter media. The treated water was discharged through each filter media with varying thicknesses (30 and 40 cm) and water levels (10, 20, and 30 cm), and the discharged water was collected for water quality analysis. The combination of activated charcoal, zeolite, and fine sand led to a 12% reduction in BOD, a 9.7% reduction in COD, and a substantial 28% decrease in TSS. The combined impact of activated charcoal, zeolite, and fine sand was examined to enhance the performance of filter materials. The study involved controlled discharges of 5 and 8 liters per hour (l/h) through the same thickness of filter media. Comparatively, a discharge rate of 5 l/h, a material depth of 40 cm, and a water head of 10 cm exhibited more effective reduction in BOD, COD, TSS, and TDS compared to uncontrolled water flow and an 8 l/h discharge rate. The 40 cm material depth proved more efficient than a 30 cm depth, with insignificant differences observed at 10, 20, and 30 cm heads. Consequently, a 10 cm head paired with a 40 cm material depth was selected. Based on removal efficiency, zeolite, activated charcoal, biochar, and fine sand were chosen as efficient materials. Each material, with a depth of 40 cm, was layered in a column, with coarser material at the bottom and finer material at the top, maintaining a water head of 10 cm (Biochar, activated charcoal, zeolite, and fine sand at the top). Two cycles of 24, 48, 96, and 168 hours were conducted, and treated water was collected at the filter media outlet for assessing quality parameters. The combination of materials, each with a thickness of 40 cm, achieved efficiencies of 49%, 57%, 75%, and 10% for BOD, COD, TSS, and TDS, respectively.