Application of sand filtration in treating wet market wastewater

Abstract

Malaysia’s wet market scenery synonyms with unpleasant odour, dirty environment, and pathogen development. The purpose of this study is to apply physical treatment as a pretreatment of wet market wastewater using sand filtration and to choose the best composition of sand in order to treat wastewater based on BOD, COD, suspended solid, AN, and turbidity. Usually wastewater from wet market disposed directly without any treatment. In this study, wet market Kangar has been chosen as a sampling location which was at the final discharge of the premise. Three layer and four layer sand filtration were used in this study. The fine sand, coarse sand and charcoal sized 0.06 mm, 2.00 mm and 0.08 mm respectively were used as media. All five parameters were tested at influent and effluent from sand filtration. The result after 5 week of treatment show BOD, COD, suspended solid, AN, and turbidity has been removed 86 %, 81%, 68 %, 61% and 83 %, respectively using 3 layer sand filtration, which is complying with Standard B of Environmental Quality Act (Sewage and Industrial Effluent) Regulations,1979. This study has revealed that sand filtration has potential in treating wet market wastewater.