The study for greywater treatment by local materials for reuse in scarcity areas

Water scarcity is becoming increasingly severe and significantly impacts the lives of many individuals in rural areas. To improve water quality for reuse and reduce environmental impacts, the study has been conducted on the application of locally available, low-cost materials in simple operational processes for greywater treatment. The treatment model utilizes filter materials arranged in layers, consisting of coconut fiber (10 cm), manually crushed waste concrete (50 cm), and coconut shell activated carbon (30 cm). The results indicate that the treatment system achieves an efficiency of approximately 75% for COD and BOD5 removal, with a hydraulic loading rate of 1.58 m3/m2 per day. In addition, the removal efficiency of TSS exceeded 80% at a hydraulic loading rate of 1.58 m3/m2 per day, while the removal efficiency for TKN was higher than 40%. The results indicate that at the lower water loading rate of 0.84 m3/m2 per day, the research model removed 48-50% of total phosphorus from greywater. Meanwhile, pH and EC showed minimal differences between the input and output of the research models across various loading rates, ranging from 0.84 to 3.2 m3/m2 per day. The system operated intermittently and continuously, with no significant differences in the pollution removal efficiency observed in the treatment of greywater. However, the water supplying for intermittently with 3 hours of water loading followed by 1 hour of rest, which aligns with the typical frequency of intermittent greywater discharge in households. The quality of the treated water indicates its potential for storage for reuse in crop irrigation, particularly in areas facing water scarcity.