Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-02-16DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100070
Omur Faruq , Md. Abdul Malak , Nahrin Jannat Hossain , Md. Shamsudduha Sami , Abdul Majed Sajib
{"title":"Investigating the relationship between land use and water quality in urban water bodies","authors":"Omur Faruq , Md. Abdul Malak , Nahrin Jannat Hossain , Md. Shamsudduha Sami , Abdul Majed Sajib","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rapid urbanization and industrialization have significantly affected global water safety, particularly in urban areas where land use patterns directly influence surface water quality (WQ). Understanding this complex relationship between Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), and WQ is crucial for sustainable water resources management. This study aimed to investigate the impact of LULC on WQ in 11 water bodies within Khulna City Corporation, Bangladesh. This study employed the Root Mean Squared Water Quality Index (RMS-WQI) model to rank the WQ status of these water bodies. The random forest algorithm was utilized on the Google Earth Engine platform to map LULC. Concurrently, canonical correlation analysis was utilized to assess the relationship between WQ and LULC buffering 100 m around each waterbody. The WQ in the study area was classified between ‘Fair’ and ‘Marginal’ based on WQI scores. The canonical correlation assessment showed that, within the buffer zone, water body size (loadings = −0.027592) and cropland area (loadings = - 0.007411) exhibited negative correlations with WQI, while other LULC variables showed positive associations. In contrast, TDS (loadings = −0.691221) and EC (loadings = 0.721202) emerged as the most significant contributors to the canonical relationship, highlighting their substantial influence on the overall WQI score. However, further studies are necessary to validate these findings by incorporating other crucial WQ indicators and time-series LULC assessments. The overall results demonstrated the suitability of the RMS-WQI model for evaluating WQ status in urban water bodies while acknowledging the inherent uncertainties such as ambiguity and the eclipsing problems. Despite these limitations, this study provides a valuable geospatial perspective on the WQ of urban water bodies, which can be useful for different stakeholders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100070"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100069
C.A.L. Graça , O.S.G.P. Soares
{"title":"Optimization of coffee grounds-based activated carbon catalyst for ozone water treatment: A Box-Behnken design approach","authors":"C.A.L. Graça , O.S.G.P. Soares","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100069","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100069","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study addresses two pressing environmental issues—resource conservation and waste valorization—while advancing water cleaning solutions. Activated carbon derived from coffee grounds (ACCG) was synthesized to optimize oxalic acid (OXL) removal via catalytic ozonation, as OXL is not effectively degraded by ozone alone, which can lead to its persistence in the environment. A Box-Behnken design approach was used to optimize synthesis conditions, namely dwell temperature (°C), dwell time (h) and %CO<sub>2</sub> in gas flow rate, through response surface methodology (RSM). The resulting materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), specific surface area measurement by nitrogen adsorption-dessorption isotherms at −196 °C, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The statistical model that describes the response adjusts perfectly to the experimental data with R<sup>2</sup> = 0.994 and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirms that it is statistically predictive and significant. Optimal synthesis conditions for the highest OXL degradation rate constant (<em>k</em>', min⁻¹) were identified as: 400 °C of dwell temperature, 2 h of dwell time and 70 % of CO<sub>2</sub> (v/v). The ACCG prepared under these conditions enabled a <em>k’</em> 14-fold higher than that achieved with single ozonation. Selective quenching experiments suggest that singlet oxygen (<sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>) is the main reactive oxygen species formed during catalytic ozonation. The best performing ACCG was submitted to three reutilization cycles, and although a more prominent activity loss was observed after the 1st cycle, the catalyst maintained good catalytic activity across all cycles, consistently achieving higher OXL removal than ozonation alone. Overall, this study provided a sustainable approach to managing waste by valorizing coffee grounds into effective catalysts while enhancing water treatment efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100069"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100067
Sadia Fida , Maria Yasmeen , Rabia Adnan , Muhammad Zeeshan
{"title":"Treatment methods for sugar rich wastewater: A review","authors":"Sadia Fida , Maria Yasmeen , Rabia Adnan , Muhammad Zeeshan","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100067","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sugarcane has been recognized as a cash crop in both developed and developing countries for the past century. The sugar manufacturing process requires large volumes of water and consequently generates high-strength wastewater, which, if not treated properly, poses significant environmental risks. This review paper focuses on various treatment techniques for sugar industry effluents including physicochemical, aerobic, anaerobic, and membrane-based approaches. While aerobic and membrane-based methods yield promising results, they are not cost-effective due to high energy demands and challenges related to sludge disposal. Anaerobic methods are more energy-efficient, enabling energy recovery as methane and hydrogen gas while producing less sludge. Sugar industry effluents, which have high organic concentrations, offer great potential for energy recovery through anaerobic treatment. However, the application of anaerobic methods on a commercial scale is limited by long startup periods and seasonal variations in effluent characteristics. The combination of high-rate anaerobic and aerobic methods has proven effective for treating high-strength wastewater.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100067"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143279553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100068
Prashan M. Rodrigo , Raghava R. Kommalapati
{"title":"Synergistic effect of magnetic magnetite and greigite nanoparticles dispersed pinewood biochar for aqueous lead(II) and cadmium(II) adsorption","authors":"Prashan M. Rodrigo , Raghava R. Kommalapati","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heavy metals such as lead and cadmium cause adverse effects on all living organisms. Their remediation is complex in the aqueous phase. Biochar is a low-cost, environmentally friendly adsorbent material that exhibited a limited ability to adsorb Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup>. Iron-based magnetite and greigite nanoparticles have proven high adsorption capacity due to high amounts of oxygen and sulfur-contained functional groups per unit volume. In this study, a mixture of greigite and magnetite nanoparticles was simultaneously synthesized on pinewood biochar (BC), aiding co-precipitation from a Fe<sup>2+</sup>/Fe<sup>3+</sup> and S<sup>2-</sup> salts mixture (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Fe<sub>3</sub>S<sub>4</sub>/BC), that offers a cost-effective, sustainable, and efficient material for Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> removal. BC, Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Fe<sub>3</sub>S<sub>4</sub>/BC, and Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> adsorbed Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Fe<sub>3</sub>S<sub>4</sub>/BC materials were characterized to differentiate surface morphologies, elemental compositions, and surface chemical states. The Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Fe<sub>3</sub>S<sub>4</sub>/BC composite exhibited an average nanoparticle diameter of ∼20 nm. Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Fe<sub>3</sub>S<sub>4</sub>/BC showed Langmuir adsorption capacities of 138.9 and 49.5 mg g<sup>-1</sup> for Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> at pH 5 (25 °C). Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the equilibriums were achieved after ∼2 h and ∼30 min, respectively, for 125 and 1250 μmol L<sup>-1</sup> concentrations, respectively, where the fast adsorption rates make Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-Fe<sub>3</sub>S<sub>4</sub>/BC hybrid system a practical option for real-time treatment. Further, adsorption performances were influenced by ionic strength, dose optimization, and the presence of competing ions, suggesting the potential for fine-tuning adsorbent conditions in practical applications. This study enhanced the understanding of adsorption characteristics for a treatment facility that can effectively remediate lead and cadmium-contaminated wastewater. While there have been studies on using biochar and nanoparticles separately for Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> adsorption, this research bridges the gap by demonstrating the synergistic effect for Pb<sup>2+</sup> and Cd<sup>2+</sup> adsorption from hybrid magnetite-greigite nanoparticles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100068"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143139013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100065
Jacob Rubel , Frank Buysschaert , Veerle Vandeginste
{"title":"Review and selection methodology for water treatment systems in mobile encampments for military applications","authors":"Jacob Rubel , Frank Buysschaert , Veerle Vandeginste","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100065","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100065","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Securing a steady supply of water and energy is vital for the success of mobile operations in emergency and military situations. A mobile energy and water supply systems (EWSS) seeks to guarantee these resources through the use of renewable energy, hydrogen energy storage, and built-in water purification systems. The design of these water treatment systems involves a series of interesting challenges regarding the selection of treatment technologies and their interactions with the energy system. This work seeks to review the available water treatment technologies and evaluate their application in mobile water treatment systems as well as suitability for the production of ultrapure water to generate hydrogen via electrolysis. Each technology is evaluated using a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) to provide a guide for the selection of water treatment technologies for mobile water treatment systems in an EWSS. Based on their TOPSIS scores, GAC filtration, membrane distillation, UV treatment, ultrafiltration, and microfiltration stood out as key technologies for a mobile water treatment system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100065"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143138679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100066
Naveen Chand , Vineet Singh , Surindra Suthar
{"title":"Influence of plant species on triclosan removal and associated microbial communities in the vertical-flow constructed wetland","authors":"Naveen Chand , Vineet Singh , Surindra Suthar","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated plant species' role in removing triclosan (TCS) and functional bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of vertical flow-constructed wetlands (VFCWs). Two VFCWs with similar configurations but different plants i.e., <em>Colocasia</em> (CB-VFCW) and <em>Typha</em> (TB-VFCW) were established and TCS removal was recorded under four cycles of 216 hrs HRT. The TB-VFCWs showed the maximum average TCS removal (89.41 %) during studied HRT than CB-VFCWs (79.4 %) (<em>p</em> > 0.05). The respective removal of COD, NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>-N and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> -N was found to be 89.5 %, 84.8 % and 77.5 % in TB-TFCW and 79.88 %, 87.16 % and 66.25 % in CB-VFCWs, suggesting significant variations between VFCWs. 16S data analysis suggested variations between CB-VFCW and TB-VFCW for bacterial abundance, species diversity and richness. Proteobacteria especially the Beta subdivision found to be the dominant bacterial community showing positive correlations with TCS reductions. Results found that plant species selection could be a valuable approach for the enrichment of ecologically relevant microbiota in VFCWs involved in organic pollutant removals in such systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100066"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143139014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-01-11DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100064
M. M. Shah Porun Rana , Muhammad Tauhidur Rahman , Md Fuad Hassan
{"title":"Mapping groundwater potential zone by robust machine learning algorithms & remote sensing techniques in agriculture dominated area, Bangladesh","authors":"M. M. Shah Porun Rana , Muhammad Tauhidur Rahman , Md Fuad Hassan","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An important part of the ecosystem is groundwater. These resources of Bangladesh are under tremendous pressure from both natural and human-caused factors. Groundwater is essential for fulfilling water requirements in the agricultural Pabna district of Bangladesh, where over-extraction for local, manufacturing, and farming uses has led to considerable water shortages. It is highly expanded in the aspect of industry and agriculture practices. This region's distinctive physiography, extensive agriculture, dryness, low rainfall, and abundant water supply all contribute to the low groundwater depth. The enhancement of human accessibility to sufficient quantities and high-quality groundwater resources is one of the major goals of this research. Several machine learning algorithms and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) models along with geographic information systems (GIS) software integrate sixteen thematic layers, including elevation, slope, soil types, topographic wetness index (TWI), normalized difference water index (NDWI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), curvature, soil permeability, physiography, topographic position index (TPI), terrain roughness index (TRI), stream power index (SPI), distance from river, rainfall, drainage density, and land use land cover (LULC) to create a groundwater potential zone map. Furthermore, the research uses 340 well and non-well sites as inventory data. This is randomly divided into two datasets: training (80 %) and testing (20 %). The resultant groundwater potential zone map is divided into five categories: extremely poor, very poor, moderate, good, and excellent. Every model that was validated using the ROC curve has an AUC-ROC value of more than 0.90. The study's conclusions will help decision-makers save groundwater for long-term usage in areas experiencing a water shortage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100064"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143138346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-01-11DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100063
Philomina Onyedikachi Peter , Edoardo Bertone , Rodney A. Stewart
{"title":"A systematic literature review of forecasting and predictive models for enterococci intrusion in aquatic ecosystems","authors":"Philomina Onyedikachi Peter , Edoardo Bertone , Rodney A. Stewart","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100063","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100063","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ensuring the quality of recreational waters is critical for safeguarding public health and supporting tourism-driven economies. However, rising levels of Enterococci (ENT) present significant risks to aquatic ecosystems and human well-being. Predicting ENT concentrations and understanding their environmental and anthropogenic drivers are essential for effective water resource management and the mitigation of health risks. This systematic review explores the existing body of research on water quality modeling by analyzing various model types, their applications, and their effectiveness. It identifies rainfall and storms as primary drivers of elevated ENT concentrations, emphasizing the critical role of environmental factors in shaping water quality. Additionally, human and animal waste, particularly from sewage intrusion, are highlighted as significant sources of ENT, underscoring the need to address anthropogenic impacts on water contamination. Process-based and data-driven models emerge as prominent tools for forecasting ENT levels in recreational waters. While both approaches are widely utilized, the review notes the difficulty in directly comparing their performance due to methodological variations. By synthesizing findings from diverse studies, the review provides insights into the complex relationships between predictors such as rainfall, ENT levels, and associated health risks from human exposure. The review also addresses the health implications of ENT contamination by identifying its primary sources and associated diseases, enhancing understanding of its broader impacts on public health. Furthermore, it offers evidence-based recommendations for selecting appropriate models to predict ENT levels, empowering researchers and water resource managers to design more effective water quality management strategies. These insights may contribute to reducing the prevalence of waterborne diseases associated with recreational water use, ultimately promoting safer and more sustainable aquatic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100063"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143138345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2025-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100062
Adedamola Adesomi Ali, Oliver Terna Iorhemen, Ronald W. Thring
{"title":"Climate adaptation and resilience of biofiltration as a low-cost technological solution for water treatment – A critical review","authors":"Adedamola Adesomi Ali, Oliver Terna Iorhemen, Ronald W. Thring","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The water supply and sanitation sector has become vulnerable due to extreme weather events such as flooding, wildfires, and droughts. Following wildfires, the erosion of ashes and unburnt carbon into surface water bodies results in higher turbidity and total suspended solids in surface water, along with elevated concentrations of dissolved organic matter. This deterioration in water quality increases the difficulty of treating these waters for human consumption, highlighting the urgent need for adaptive water treatment methods. Amid these challenges, biofiltration has emerged as a sustainable, low-cost techno-ecological solution, recognized for its ability to enhance water quality while remaining environmentally friendly. The effectiveness of biofiltration stems from its utilization of microbial communities and natural processes, enabling it to adapt and recover from disruptions. Despite the threats posed by climate change, biofiltration systems have shown strong potential for resilience, although this resilience depends on a thorough understanding of the challenges brought on by climate change. This paper reviews the impacts of extreme weather events on water quality and the operations of water treatment plants. It highlights several conventional water treatment methods and discusses their insufficiencies in treating emerging contaminants. The mechanisms through which biofiltration removes contaminants as well as the key parameters that influence biofiltration such as biofilter media, types of microorganisms, temperature, pH, nutrients supply, etc and the dominant microbes present in biofilters were reviewed. The adaptation and resilience of biofiltration systems to challenges posed by climate change in water treatment was extensively discussed. The limitations and opportunities related to the adaptation and resilience of biofiltration were discussed, emphasizing the need for more proactive measures to optimize biofiltration systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100062"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143138344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cleaner WaterPub Date : 2024-12-25DOI: 10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100061
Wathsala Benthota Pathiranage , Chloe Sharp , Yinshan Hong , Cecylia Williams , Omar Algharibeh , Anna McKnight , Clinton Williams , Hunain Alkhateb , Matteo D’Alessio
{"title":"Enhancing slow sand filtration with 3D-printed eco-friendly bricks","authors":"Wathsala Benthota Pathiranage , Chloe Sharp , Yinshan Hong , Cecylia Williams , Omar Algharibeh , Anna McKnight , Clinton Williams , Hunain Alkhateb , Matteo D’Alessio","doi":"10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wastewater reuse after adequate treatment represents a sustainable approach and a valuable alternative source to mitigate the current water scarcity. In wastewater treatment, low-cost and low-tech approaches draw attention as small/rural communities struggle to achieve the anticipated water quality standards due to insufficient funds, or expert knowledge in implementing and maintaining high-tech treatment methods. This study evaluated the ability of two low-cost and sustainable materials, clay and crawfish shell waste to produce 3D-printed bricks to remove turbidity, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), total coliforms and <em>E. coli</em>. Additionally, the study included an investigation of their ability to remove contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Three different bench-scale reactors were built for the study, 1) a reactor with 3D-printed crawfish shell waste bricks (90 % clay and 10 % crawfish shell waste by weight) with sand, 2) a reactor with 3D-printed clay bricks with sand, and 3) a control (without 3D printed bricks) with only sand. All three systems, including the control, effectively removed turbidity (up to 96 %), total coliforms (up to 99 %) and <em>E. coli</em> (up to 99 %). Although the changes in removal efficiencies were not statistically different, the sand filter with clay bricks showed the highest removal rates for turbidity (87.1 % ± 7.1), COD (55 % ± 18.6) and TOC (47 % ± 27). Among the different CECs analyzed, the highest removal rates were recorded for fluoxetine (100 % removal), diphenhydramine (>90 % removal) and erythromycin (60 % – 100 % removal) regardless of the reactor used. However, the reactor with crawfish bricks outperformed the other two in removing CECs exhibiting a 40 % – 80 % removal such as trimethoprim, tramadol, irbesartan, guaifenesin, gabapentin and losartan, as well as CECs exhibiting a relatively low removal (10 – 40 %) including lidocaine and sucralose. Sucralose is the only emerging contaminant with a statistically significant difference among the reactors, with the crawfish bricks showing significantly higher removal compared to the clay bricks (<em>p</em> = 0.026).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100257,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Water","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100061"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143138404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}