RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY,

BELAGAVI-590018

2022-2023

RECYCLING OF CAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST

(PHASE-2)
A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
FOR THE 8th SEMESTER

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

Name USN

SHUHAIL M 1NH16CV101

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Ms. SERIN ISSAC

SENIOR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We sincerely thank Dr. MOHAN MANGHNANI, Chairman of New Horizon College of Engineering, for

providing the necessary infrastructure and creating a good environment. We would express our great thanks to

Dr. MANJUNATHA, Principal of New Horizon College of Engineering, for granting us permission to

undertake the VTU-prescribed project.

We express our deep sense of gratitude and thanks to the Head, Department of Civil Engineering Dr.

NIRANJAN P.S, for providing the necessary facilities and encouraging us to make this project a grand success.

We sincerely acknowledge the encouragement, timely help, and guidance of Ms. Serin Issac

Sr. Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering

With great pleasure, we wish to express our deep sense of gratitude and profound thanks to the

staff members of the Department of Civil Engineering. Their valuable guidance in both field and office work

helped us to complete the project within the prescribed time.

Finally, we express our sincere thanks to the lab instructors who helped us to complete the project

successfully and all our friends for their kind cooperation and help in the successful completion of the project.

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

Department of Civil Engineering

Certificate

It is hereby certified that the project work entitled “RECYCLING OF CAR WASH WATER USING

SAWDUST”, carried out by SHUHAIL M Name with USN 1NH16CV101. The bonafide student of the

Eighth semester in partial fulfillment for the award Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering of the

Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi during the year 2022-2023. It is certified that all

corrections/suggestions indicated for internal assessment have been incorporated in the report.

The project has been certified as it satisfies the academic requirement in respect of project work.

GUIDE: HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

Ms. SERIN ISSAC DR. NIRANJAN P.S

…………………… ………………

Examiners:

1. …………………… 2. ………………

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

ABSTRACT

This article compares the effectiveness of physical treatment methods for washing water

collected at gas stations. Wash water was collected from two petrol stations in the city of

Bangalore and the waste water was characterized for various parameters such as pH, turbidity,

electrical conductivity, total solids, oil and fat, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological

oxygen demand (BOD). . , chloride, sulfate and total hardness. Local natural materials such as

sawdust were used for physical processing. Filtered samples were tested for COD and oils and

fats. In the form of three height filter columns. The COD and percentage reduction in oil and fat

content depend on the depth and type of filter media. Physical cleaning methods have emerged

as a viable solution as natural materials that effectively remove oil, grease and COD from

vehicle drains are environmentally friendly. Experimental studies have shown that the sorption

capacity of any material during physical cleaning depends on the porosity, surface area and

height of the filter layer.

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

CONTENTS

SL TOPIC PAGE NO.

NO.

1 LIST OF FIGURES 6

2 LIST OF TABLES 7

3 INTRODUCTION 8

4 LITERATURE REVIEW 9-12

a. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE

REVIEW

5 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY 13

6 METHODOLOGY 14-18

a. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

b. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

7 RESULT & DISCUSSION 19-20

8 CONCLUSION 21

9 REFERENCE 22

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1. LIST OF FIGURES

FIG NO. CONTENT PAGE

NO.

Fig 5.1 Sawdust 13

Fig 6.1 Collection of sample 14

Fig 6.2 Collected sample 15

Fig 6.3, Tests done on the collected wastewater 16

6.4 samples

Fig 6.5 Filter bed made out of wood with sawdust 17

as a filter and 2mm sieve to retain

particles

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2. LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO. CONTENT PAGE NO.

Table 6.1 Characterisation Results for Sample A and Sample 16

B

Table 8.1 Filter bed dimension and weight 19

Table 8.2 Shows percentage removal of COD 19

Table 8.3 shows the percentage removal of oil & grease 19

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3. INTRODUCTION

The growth of the urban population has increased the demand for freshwater sources and its

rapid depletion has been a concern to ecologists. Rapid urbanization has led to the hasty growth

of the automobile industry in urban areas and this has necessitated the need to have automobile

service centers at regular intervals. Automobile service stations range from authorized service

centers to small-scale service stations, which undertake the repair, washing, and servicing of

vehicles. According to the reports provided by International Car Wash Association, a home car

wash can go through 80 to 140 gallons (300 to 530 liters) of water, whereas a wash at one of the

garages will take about 30 to 45 gallons (115 to 170 liters), and after the wash of vehicles, some

water will also be used to wash floors and washing equipment. A lot of water is wasted daily for

vehicle washing and servicing. This wash water contains paint, oil and grease, detergents,

phosphates, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium bifluoride products, and heavy metals.

Fakhru’lRaziet.al. (2009) have given an overview of physical, chemical, biological, and

membrane treatment for wastewater treatment. From the review ,it is reported that two or more

methods may be used in series for effective water treatment and the selection of technology is

decided based on the use of treated water.

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4. LITERATURE REVIEW

1. RM Mohammed, A.I. Cutty, N. Mariam, M. Kassim, A. Hashim, Effects of using

commercial and natural coagulants in car wash wastewater treatment. Australia J. Main

Applications. Nauka, 8(16), 227-234, (2014)

A zinc sulfide photocatalyst doped with chromium (1:1)% was synthesized by a precipitation

method. Their properties were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), AFM and fluorescence

spectroscopy. To study the kinetics and thermodynamic parameters of the photobleaching of the

reactive black dye 5 in a crash solution of chromium-doped pure ZnS, a photocatalytic reaction

was used at a light intensity of 1.45 × 10-mol Einstein. The average crystallite size and grain size

of pure ZnS is larger than that of chromium-sputtered ZnS.

2. MS Ashmawi, M.S. Musa, A.K. Goname, A. Improvement of primary sedimentation

efficiency in wastewater treatment plants using Tammam, Moringa oliefera seeds and quicklime.

jam. Science, 8(2), (2012) In this study, the water quality of the Abu Ravash wastewater

treatment plant was improved by introducing carbon dioxide (CO2) using aluminum chloride

(AlCl3) as a coagulant. The Abu Rawash wastewater treatment plant is a major contributor to

water quality deterioration at the Rosetta site in Egypt. Wastewater samples were taken from

quarry wastewater. Vessel experiments were performed to determine the optimal pH and

coagulant dose required to obtain an acceptable treatment. Eleven samples were prepared with

the same volume of aluminum chloride (10.0 mg/l) and different pH values.

3. Features. Am J Anal Chem., 5(1), 8, (2014)

The ability of Moringa oleifera seed extract to remove anionic surfactants was evaluated.

Surfactants are the main active ingredients in laundry detergents. Therefore, special attention

should be paid to the treatment and disposal of laundry wastewater. Purpose of this study was to

Characterize the wastewater discharged from commercial dry cleaners over a 30-day period.

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Physicochemical analysis was performed by adjusting the contents of nitrogen, phosphate, heavy

metal, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), volatile organic acid and alcohol.

4. Ndabigengesere A., K.S. Narashiya and B.G. Muddy water coagulation mechanism using

Talbot, activators and Moringa oleifera. Water Res., 29(2), 703-710, (1995) -

This study focused on developing an efficient and cost-effective method of treating Moringa

oleifera seeds to produce a natural coagulant for use in drinking water treatment. Produced

natural coagulants can replace aluminum sulfate and other coagulants and are used for water

purification worldwide.

5. Al Gitti, R.M. Mohamed, M. Afaiz Ab. Rahman, J. Mas Rahayu and H.K. Amir, Rinsing

Wastewater Treatment Using Natural Coagulation and Filtration Systems, Int. Conference

This study aims to develop a comprehensive car wash wastewater treatment system based on

Flocculation and Flotation using Moringoleifer.

6. Gebremichael K.A., K.R. Gunaratna, H. Henriksson, H. Broomer and A. Dalhammar,

Simple purification and analysis of blood coagulation protein activity in Moringa oleifera seeds.

Water Res., 39(11), 2338-2344, (2005)

This article describes water and salt extraction, ion exchange purification, chemical

characterization, coagulation and antibacterial properties of seed-derived coagulation proteins.

7.R. Wow, L.A. Chua, T.S.I. Cheung, Z. Ngaini, M.M. Nuruji

This review discusses the latest research and development on the use of natural fiber sorbents

for oily wastewater treatment. Natural fiber absorbents with excellent oil separation properties,

environmental friendliness, economy and practicality are attractive alternatives for oily

wastewater treatment. 8. d. Majumder, S. MukherjeeThis review paper describes a

comprehensive understanding of the origin and characteristics, existing techniques in laboratory

and pilot scale, screening of different methods, and justification for advocating biological

methods for the treatment of oily wastewater.

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9. Camacho FP, Sousa VS, Bergamasco R, Ribau Teixeira M (2017) The use of Moringa

oleifera as a natural coagulant in surface water treatment

This study aims to evaluate the performance of MO seeds and MO seeds with a reduced amount

of oil as coagulants in a water treatment process used to remove cyanobacteria from model

natural waters with low to high turbidity.

10. Yin C-Y (2010

A review of plant-based coagulant sources, processes, effectiveness and relevant coagulating

mechanisms for treatment of water and wastewater is presented. These coagulants are, in

general, used as point-of-use technology in less-developed communities since they are relatively

cost-effective compared to chemical coagulants, can be easily processed in usable form and are

biodegradable. These natural coagulants, which purify water in the low to medium turbidity

range (50-500 NTU), are not inferior to chemical coagulants in their purification efficiency.

11. A. Fakhru'lRazi, A. Pendashte, L.K. Abdullah, D.R.A. Biak, S.S.

Madani, Abidin Pharmaceutical wastewater treatment is a challenging task due to its

complexity and variability in the intensity of wastewater streams accompanied by pollutant

loads and shock loads. The integration of traditional systems with advanced physico-chemical

processes is gaining traction in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment as a single treatment system

is not a viable option. In this study, the effectiveness of two biological treatment methods as

reverse osmosis pretreatment systems was evaluated: a batch-type batch reactor and a membrane

bioreactor.

12. DL Villasenior BasultoThis paper is a collection of information related with using MO in

contemporary applications, mainly wastewater treatment. It reviews the main active components

involved in the processes, the most significant mechanisms identified, seed processing

techniques and some practical applications, and the main trends in the field, as well as provides

comments and recommendations for further developments and identifies knowledge gaps and

future research directions.

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4A. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW

According to Gregory (2006) coagulation-flocculation process involves two basic

steps: (i) Destabilisation of stabilized colloid on the addition of coagulant (ii) Collision of

particles to form aggregates and this methodology is presented in Fig. 1. From the comparative

studies undertaken by (Mazumdar and Mukherjee, 2011) it was observed that chemical

coagulation by alum, alum along with bentonite powder, ferrous sulfate , and calcium chloride in

presence of bentonite powder may be practiced for complete removal of oil and grease.

Biological treatment of such wastewaters using activated sludge resulted only in 18 – 68%

removal efficiency under a batch period of 18 – 30 hours. The main concern here is the fact that

not all the service stations practice the use of treating this wastewater before releasing them into

the drains which may further damage the environment due to the harmful components present in

them.

A study by Ilemobayo and Colade (2008) found that the top 60 cm of soil

collected from automobile workshops contained high concentrations of heavy metals. Therefore,

it is necessary to bond the work area and use adequate drainage for oil, lubricants and spilled

petrol. Wahiet. al. (2013) emphasized the adsorption efficiency of natural adsorbents such as

kapok fibers and dense vegetation seeds in removing oil and fat and depended on various factors

such as adsorbent particle size, adsorbent surface area, adsorbent bed height, flow rate, and

initial concentration. temperature, acidity, temperature. and contact time. The adsorption

principle they proposed is shown in Fig. Functional groups such as OH, C==O and C-O are

responsible for oil adsorption.

Patel et al. (2013) reported that organoclay treatment was more effective than

alum treatment in reducing haze and removing oil and grease. Baddoret. al. (2014) used

bentonite to remove surfactants, oil and grease residues, total dissolved solids and COD from a

car wash through adsorption.

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5. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

From the literature, it is observed that physical, chemical, and biological methods of wastewater

treatment are widely used by researchers. In line with the literature, the following objectives are

arrived at.

1) Characterization of waste water for different parameters

2) Compare the effectiveness of physical methods of treatment in reducing COD and oil and

grease.

3)Evaluate the ability of sawdust to remove contaminants such as dirt, oil, and grease from car

wash water.

4)Determine the optimal conditions for using sawdust as a filtration medium, such as the size of

the sawdust particles, the contact time between the water and the sawdust, and the volume of

sawdust required.

5)Compare the quality of the recycled water with the original car wash water, as well as with

other common water treatment methods.

6)Assess the economic feasibility of implementing a sawdust-based filtration system for car

wash water recycling, including the cost of sawdust, the cost of maintenance, and the potential

cost savings compared to traditional water treatment methods

FIG. 5.1

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

6. METHODOLOGY

To achieve the above objectives the following methodology is followed:

1) Identification of the source of effluent and its collection as shown in fig. 6.1.

2) Characterisation of the effluent for different parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity,

total solids, oil and grease, COD (chemical oxygen demand), BOD (biological oxygen demand),

chlorides, sulfate, and total hardness.

3) Development of a framework for filter bed

4) Use of locally available materials for the development of filter beds and compare the

effectiveness of different filter media in removing COD and oil and grease.

5) Compare the effectiveness of the physical methods in treating effluent from a service station.

FIG 6.1

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Sample Collection and Characterization

This study was conducted in Bangalore. For the study, 2 authorized service stations

were identified, A and B which were involved in the washing, servicing, and maintenance of

vehicles. Though all maintenance and repair works were done in the service stations, the primary

contributor to the automobile effluent was vehicle washing. A was indulged in both 2-wheeler

and 4-wheeler servicing whereas B was involved only in 4-wheeler washing only. No separate

sump systems were provided in the service stations; instead, they were directly linked to

drainage systems. To obtain random samples of effluent from service stations for the study, a 30-

liter container can be positioned at the service station outlet. A photograph depicting the samples

collected for the research is included in the list of fig 6.2.

FIG 6.2

Characterization tests were performed on the automobile effluent and the different parameters

determined are pH, total and dissolved solids, turbidity, conductivity, chlorides, sulfates, total

hardness, oil and grease, COD, and BOD as per IS codes is shown in table 6.1. The different test

results are compared with the General Standards for Discharge of Environmental Pollutants

specified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 1986, and are summarized in Table 1.

From the characterization results it is observed that though both samples are alkaline, Sample B

is not only highly turbid but also has higher values of all the physical characteristics with respect

to Sample A.. Among all the characteristics oil and grease are very high when compared to the

standards as specified by CPCB.

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

Fig 6.3 fig 6.4

TABLE 6.1

Treatment Method

The 50 mm × 50 mm filter layer was made of natural material such as sawdust with three

filter media heights of 3 cm, 6 cm and 9 cm, as shown in fig 6.5, and the material was

completely sun-dried before testing. . The filter layer was created inside the wooden box and a

plastic mesh was placed at the bottom of the box to prevent the layer from falling. A photograph

of the filter layer used in the physical treatment is shown in Figure 1. The amount of adsorbent

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used to prepare the filter layer is shown in Table 2. It can be seen from the table that for a given

volume, there are more pores in the sawdust and, due to their smaller size, a larger surface area is

exposed. Wastewater was passed through filter media and the clear filtrate was tested for COD,

oil and grease. For physical treatment, the filter media was thoroughly sieved through a sieve

with a mesh size of 2 mm to remove dust particles.

Fig 6.5

6A. Statement of the problem

Car wash businesses generate a significant amount of wastewater that contains pollutants

such as oils, grease, and chemicals that are harmful to the environment. This wastewater is

typically discharged into the sewer system, which can lead to water pollution and

environmental degradation. One potential solution to reduce the environmental impact of car

wash wastewater is to recycle it using sawdust. However, the effectiveness of sawdust in

removing pollutants from car wash wastewater and its potential impact on the environment

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RECYCLING OFCAR WASH WATER USING SAWDUST- PHASE 2

and human health need to be evaluated. Therefore, the problem statement for this project is

to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of using sawdust as a filtration medium for the

recycling of car wash water to reduce pollutants discharged into sewers.

6B. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

"Recycling of Car Wash Water Using Sawdust", lies in its potential to

address a critical environmental issue related to the disposal of car wash water. Car wash

water contains various pollutants such as oils, grease, detergents, heavy metals, and dirt,

which can have negative impacts on the environment if not properly treated before being

discharged into the sewer system. By using sawdust as a filter medium to treat and recycle

car wash water, your study aims to decrease the pollutants from the carwash water sent into

sewers. The recycling process is expected to remove impurities from the wastewater, making

it safe for reuse in car washing, which can potentially reduce water usage and lower the

amount of wastewater that enters the sewer system. This can contribute to the preservation of

the environment and a decrease in water pollution, ultimately leading to a more sustainable

and eco-friendly approach to car washing. Moreover, the use of sawdust as a filter medium is

a cost-effective and readily available method for treating wastewater compared to traditional

treatment methods, making it accessible to car wash operators with limited resources.

Therefore, the significance of your study lies in its ability to provide an innovative and

practical solution for reducing the environmental impact of car wash operations while also

being cost-effective and accessible to businesses.

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7. RESULT & DISCUSSION

Table 8.1

The effectiveness of the natural materials in removing COD and oil & grease for different

filter or column heads of the materials are presented in Tables 7.2 and 7.3. From the table, it

is evident that sawdust is effective in the removal and the effects are almost on par with each

other. Many a time, sawdust was effective in removing both COD and oil & grease. This

could be due to the increase in the area of adsorption as provided by sawdust over sugarcane

bagasse. For the given volume, sawdust has a smaller size, hence the increased area of

adsorption. A similar trend is observed in the removal of oil and grease also as presented in

Table 7.2.

Table 8.2

Table 8.3

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Based on the experimental results, an experiment was attempted on a

physical processing method using sawdust. The removal rate is higher for physical cleaning

methods in which the depth of the filter layer is increased. Therefore, for comparison, the

removal rate corresponding to the 9cm filter layer was considered. As shown in the figure,

the natural material has a higher COD removal rate and is environmentally friendly. For oil

and fat removal, all treatment methods showed almost equal removal efficiencies, as shown

in the figure.

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8. CONCLUSION

This article presents the characteristics and treatment methods employed for automotive

wastewater wastewater COD and oil and fat chemistry have been considered as the most

important parameters of automotive wastewater. The use of chemical and physical cleaning

methods with sawdust has been studied for different column heights. As a result of data

analysis, the following conclusions were drawn.

Inexpensive biosorbents can effectively remove COD and oils and fats in a range of

concentrations.

1. The greater the depth of the layer, the higher the COD and oil removal efficiency, similar

to the natural cleaning method.

2. For natural methods, the higher the specific area, the higher the removal rate. So sawdust

was more effective.

3. Biosorbents are available locally, so no transportation costs are required and the cost is

very low.

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9. REFERENCES

1) Baddor, I.M., Farhoud, N., Mohammed, I., Abdel-Maguid, D., Alshami, S., Hassan

Ahmad, F., Asaad, E. (2014) Research on car wash wastewater treatment by adsorption and

engineering , Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology and

Science 2014, Infra University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 22 pages/year.

2) Central Committee for Pollution Prevention, Pollution Prevention Act, Regulations and

Notices, 4th Edition, p. 358-359. New Delhi, CPCB, Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

897 pages

3) Fakhrul-Razi A., Pendashte A., Abdulla L.S., Biak D.R.A., Madaeni S.S., Abidin Z.Z.

(2009) Review of industrial water treatment technologies in oil and gas fields 170(2): 530-

551.

4) Gregory J. (2006) Water Particles: Characteristics and Processes. London: IWA Pubs:

Boca Raton, CRC Press Taylor & Francis 2006.

5) Ilemobayo, O., Colade, I. (2008). Heavy metal profiles at an automotive workshop in

Akure, Nigeria.

6) Mazumder, D., Mukherjee, S. (2011) Treatment of automotive wastewater with

flocculation and activated sludge. Int J Environ Sci Development, 2:64-69.

7) Patel, H.A., Somani, R.S., Bajaj, H.K. and Yasra, R.V. (2006). Polymer nanocomposites,

paints, inks, lubricants and cosmetic formulations, drug delivery vehicles and nanoclays for

wastewater treatment. Materials Science Bulletin, 29(2): 133-145.

8) Wahi R., Chua L.A., Chun T.S.Yu., Ngaini Z., Nuruzi M.M. (2013) Oil removal from

water with natural fiber adsorbents: A review. Isolation and Purification Methods, 113: 51-

63..

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