COMPARISON OF INFLUENT AND EFFLUENT WATER QUALITY OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR (MBR) AND PHYTOREMEDIATION PLANT

Abstract

Inadequate sanitation and unavailability of clean water have become the most pervasive problems affecting people throughout the developing world. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies have proved ineffective in solving complex water related issues resulting from rapid industrialization and urbanization throughout the developing world. Membrane bioreactors (MBR) and Phytoremediation system under investigation have showed to be very robust Eco technologies for domestic wastewater treatment and reuse. The present study was conducted at NUST H-12 campus Islamabad to compare the water quality of MBR and Phytoremediation system in terms of Physico-chemical and Biological parameters and microbial species present in the system. Phytoremediation system under study was planted with Typha latifolia, Pistia stratiotes, Centella asiatica. Higher treatment efficiency was achieved (up to 90.8% for TSS, 67.7% for COD, 95% for turbidity and 90% for total coliform) by Phytoremediation system. Treatment performance of MBR system was up to 99% for TSS, 83% for COD, 91.5% for turbidity and 99% for total coliform and final effluents proved to compile with the EPA regulations. The high removal rates were achieved at higher temperature as well as other meteorological parameters (wind speed, air pressure, relative humidity, global horizontal irradiance) showed a significant positive and negative correlation with the removal efficiencies. Elemental uptake by plants was exhibited higher in summers than winters. 97.9% decrease in relative growth rate of Pistia stratiotes was observed followed by 91.88% for Typha latifolia and 74.5% for Centella asiatica. Predominant species isolated and identified from wastewater of Phytoremediation system belong to the phyla Proteobacterium (Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter kobei, Enterobacter hormaechei, Enterobacter asburiae, Enterobacter aerogenes. gamma proteobacterium, Franconibacter pulveris, Citrobacter freundii, Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia albertii and Escherichia coli). While, predominant bacterial species isolated and identified from activated sludge of MBR system were Salmonella enterica, Pantoea dispersa, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterobacter hormaechei and Salmonella waycross and they too belong to the phyla proteobacteria. Key words: Membrane bioreactor (MBR), Phytoremediation system, Physico-chemical parameters, Biological parameters, Meteorological parameter