Optimization of filtration using agrobased media by response surface methodology

• Main Author: Marsylthie Timothy
• Format: Academic Exercise
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: TD419-428 Water pollution
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/35128/1/24%20PAGES.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/35128/2/FULLTEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/35128/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Filtration has been extensively utilized for water quality enhancement. However, urbanization and uncontrollable growth increase the potential for pollutants to enter a water body or river, particularly in stormwater runoff. Numerous studies have reported and demonstrated a continuous improvement in the filtration mechanism's ability by utilizing alternative sources of material as engineered soil media, such as agricultural waste or agro-based medium. Even so, fewer observations have been made about optimizing filtering designs where the findings are still significantly predictive in terms of performance improvement. Hence, this study explores, investigates and optimizes filtration using agro-based media. In this study, the experiment was designed and optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Numbers of runs had been done with the variation of stormwater concentration (150 mg and 1500 mg) and loading rate (24.88 ml/min, 45.405 ml/min and 65.93 ml/min) as well as different mix-ratio of filter configuration (River Sand 100%, Coconut Shell 100% and River Sand 50% & Coconut Shell 50%) were used to determine TSS and turbidity. The data for all laboratory testing were analyzed and optimized using the Design Expert Version 11.0 software. From the analysis, the selected value of optimization in this study are stormwater concentration of 226.902 mg, loading rate of 49.46 ml/min and selected filter configuration is the River Sand (50%) & Coconut Shell (50%) configuration. Actual stormwater sample were collected from a drainage behind Block C, Engineering Faculty, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and and the stormwater sample were filtrated using the selected optimal configuration. A significant reduction of TSS with 85.31% removal and turbidity with 85.35% removal from the actual stormwater sample were obtained utilizing the selected optimal configuration and there were no clogging or ponding was observed during the run of the experimentation work. Therefore, this indicates that both river sand and coconut shell work well together to provide an efficient and effective stormwater filtering system.