Studying the Potential of a Novel Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Water Storage Tank

Water resources are scarce in arid and semi-arid areas due to low rainfall and high evaporation, complicating water supply for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses. Rainwater harvesting plays a significant role in successfully optimizing available water sources. In the same vein, the current study investigates the feasibility of a jute fiber-reinforced polymer tank as a 20,000-L rainwater harvesting structure. Jute fiber, being affordable with high mechanical strength, is a favorable substitution for synthetic fibers. The fabricating step for creating the tanks was: (i) erecting the framework, (ii) wrapping the form in jute ropes of 2, 10, 20, and 30 mm in thickness, and (iii) applying three coatings of an epoxy hardener mixture (10:1) both internally and externally. The base of the tank was fabricated separately and assembled with the tank. After 48 to 72 h and complete curing, the prototype tanks were filled with water to test for leakages and qualitative analysis. The stored water was tested qualitatively for pH, Total dissolved solids (TDS), water absorption, plastic migration, and ingestion hazard quotient (IHQ) of Bisphenol A (BPA) for 24 days. The reported pH and TDS varied from 8.06 to 8.544 and 736 to 995.739 ppm, respectively. The observed pH exceeded the 8.5 threshold value for the 2 mm rope specimen. However, the remaining specimens' pH values were within the acceptable range. TDS, on the contrary, had values below the permissible value of 2000 ppm. An increasing trend in water absorption was primarily attributed to capillarity through voids and cracks, with a maximum reported value of 2.3%. The plastic migration test used two simulants, acetic acid and distilled water. Maximum recorded values were 0.1 mg/l, below the permissible value of 60 mg/l. The reported IHQ values for six age groups (6 to <= 9, <= 9to <= 12, <= 12 to <= 18, <= 18 to <= 21, >= 21, and >= 65) were reportedly < 1, signifying the tank's safety. The suitability of the proposed tank was established following the preliminary experimental studies.