Title: Sustainable wastewater management for underdeveloped communities - a hands-on method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of greywater

Authors: Md Ashique Ahmed; Zimran M. Saiek; Omar R. Chowdhury; Marzia Tamanna; Sanjay Tewari

Addresses: College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University, 600 Dan Reneau Dr., Bogard Hall M118G, Ruston, LA, 71272-0046, USA ' Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh ' Edotco Bangladesh, Rashid Tower, House 11, Road 18, Gulshan, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh ' Department of Geosciences, University of Rhode Island, 9 E Alumni Ave, Woodard Hall 333, Kingston, RI 02881, USA ' College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University, 600 Dan Reneau Dr., Bogard Hall 250, Ruston, LA, 71272-0046, USA

Abstract: The quantity of greywater produced in urban areas of Dhaka city in Bangladesh is around 96-112 litres per capita per day which is 60%-70% of the average water supplied. This huge amount of greywater could be recycled via a separate distribution system to meet water demand for greywater toilet systems, gardening and irrigation. The quality parameters of collected greywater samples ranged for pH between 6.67 to 7.92, conductivity between 548 to 999 μS-cm⁻¹, turbidity between 54 to 435 NTU, colour between 28 to 367 (Pt-Co Unit), BOD₅ between 60 to 299 mg-L⁻¹ and COD between 135 to 751 mg-L⁻¹. It is estimated that an annual savings of 59 million Taka (about 728,300 USD based on $1 = 81 Taka as of 4/13/2017) could be achieved in a chemical and purification process if greywater is recycled for this community. This practice of recycling greywater is a step toward sustainable wastewater management for underdeveloped communities struggling with capital and dwindling freshwater sources.

Keywords: greywater; recycle; underdeveloped communities; sustainable; reuse.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2018.089279

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2018 Vol.17 No.1, pp.93 - 109

Received: 06 Oct 2016
Accepted: 30 Jul 2017
Published online: 11 Jan 2018 *

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