Development and Application of Low-Cost Filtration System for the Treatment of Greywater of a Mosque

Abstract

In Pakistan, water scarcity is a major problem, and it is continuously increasing with the increase of population. Unfortunately, untreated wastewater mostly aggravates this critical issue as it is disposed of directly in a water source. The traditional treatment technologies ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, ozonation, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, and advanced oxidation, membrane-based treatment can effectively work but are economically not sustainable.  This research aims to align with SDG6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” to address this challenging problem.
Muslims across the globe utilize water for ablution five times a day, which is left untreated as greywater. Understanding the issue of untreated greywater, this research proposes a cost-effective filtration system for treating greywater of mosques on the campus of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila by establishing a closed-loop system making it reusable. The filtration system comprises Tea Waste Residue (TWR) as a filtration media with stratified layers of gravel and sand. The study comprises the operation and the designing of a lab-scale treatment system as a feasible and sustainable option for treating greywater from mosques i.e., simple to install and operate, and aims to treat large volumes of water. The findings of the study recommend that the system be implemented in mosques in Taxila and other parts of Pakistan, laundry wastewater, and car washing, ensuring it is environmentally and economically sustainable and minimizing the strain on natural water bodies.