To study the performance of biosand filter by using rainwater harvesting method / Nurul Narissa Mohamad Hanapi

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Earth Resources

Project Paper (Bachelors of Civil Engineering) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang – 2017

Bibliography : p. 89-94

World is now facing with lack of water resources. Only 0.7% of the water supply is accessible or consumption and it is distributed unbalance. Nowadays Malaysia also is facing water scarcity problem although Malaysia has high quantity of water resources. Each person in this world need clean and safe water in their daily life, yet not everybody has the chance to access to clean water supply due to several factor. Towns and cities had less water supply problem since they get a constant safe and clean water supply with high quality. Mostly, rural areas need to face with these issues since they cannot get safe and clean water because of problem in pipe installation. Since that, they tend to used water directly from available source like groundwater and rainwater which is often contaminated sources without any treatment and precaution. Therefore, they will be exposed too many water diseases that lead to dead, especially children. The increasing water demand has sparked the initiatives to look for alternative water supply. Rainwater harvesting method was proposed by the government as part of the solutions to reduce water scarcity problem. Literatures associated with rainwater harvesting were obtained from various sources to be review about the potential and how the collection of the water. It is anticipated that rainwater harvesting is going to play the role as an alternative water resource in the country especially in rural area where the treated water resources is hard to get. However rainwater is not been consider as a suitable water resources to be used in daily live since it contains microbial and physical-chemical contaminants that can cause the waterborne disease. This study is to focus on the microbial and physical-chemical contaminants in the rainwater harvesting method before using the bio sand filter and after using the bio sand filter. Parameters that have been tested are biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, E-coli, total coliform, turbidity, total suspended solid, total hardness and heavy metal like chromium, zinc, iron, lead and manganese. All the parameters tested were referred to Standard Method for Examination of Water and Wastewater by American Public Health Association (APHA, 2005). This bio sand filter will consists of four basic layer materials which is course gravel, small gravel, course sand and fine sand that are easily to be obtained. This research is done in order to know which contaminants is higher in the rainwater and is the activated carbon can achieve the efficiency of removal. The efficiency removal of this contaminants was investigated using a bio sand filter (BSF) containing charcoal activated carbon and without activated carbon. All the result tested then be comply with NSDWQ. As the result, charcoal activated carbon can remove the contaminants effectively where total coliform and E-coli can be removing 100% and reduce the value of heavy metal respectively. Overall, charcoal activated carbon in biosand filter system is great enough in treating rainwater harvesting so that the rainwater is safe to be used and consume by the villager in rural area.