Filter based on sugar cane bagset for the treatment of wastewater from car washers in the city of Ambato, Ecuador

Abstract

The effects of the oil industry continue to cause damage today. For example, car washers and their components still pollute sewage. This work assesses the efficiency of an artisan filter made of sugarcane bagasse, sand, crushed brick, and pumice stone. The research was carried out in the Chemistry Laboratory of the Faculty of Civil and Mechanical Engineering of the Technical University of Ambato, Ecuador, and as effluent, wastewater from a small car washing machine was used. To prove the efficiency of the filter and its limitations, the variation index in different parameters of this water was measured for 31 days, such as total solids, total suspended solids, BOD5 (biological oxygen demand), COD (chemical oxygen demand), pH, oils and fats, turbidity and TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons). The preliminary results showed a significant improvement in the treated effluent's quality, especially in turbidity, TPH, total suspended solids, and pH.