EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTISTAGE FILTRATION SYSTEM OF WASTE REMOVAL FROM CREEK WATER USING SAND, SUPPORTED ACTIVATED CARBON
O.P. Folorunso
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Ado-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti
ABSTRACT
There are number of methods of water filtration, each with varying degrees of effectiveness. The general purpose of water filtration is to improve the water’s hygiene and aesthetic qualities. The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of multi-stage sand filtration to produce water fit for human consumption by passing it through a bed of sand filters to remove solids and further purifies the water by permitting additional impurities to be adsorbed to the surfaces of the sand particles, and the organic contaminants to be removed or absorbed by the activated carbon introduced into the filter. The filter was designed with a flow rate 50 and 120cm3/min and as a multi-stage filter that consists of sand particle ranging between 0.15 to 0.30mm in diameter to remove solids and micro-organisms, supported by a granular activated carbon filter to remove the organic contaminants. Ureje creek is one of the sources of water for people of Ado Ekiti, the state capital of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Research was conducted by evaluating the physical, chemical and biological qualities of water samples from the creek. The results revealed high rate of contamination as compared to WHO standard, they were found to be higher than the tolerable limit. Experiment was conducted by passing the water samples through the filter at the designed flow rates mentioned above. Some of the physical, chemical and biological parameters analyzed included; turbidity, dissolved solids, suspended solids, color, coliforms, and mineral content. However, there was a drastic reduction in the impurities after adopting both flow rates. The filter was found to reduce the concentration of suspended solids which aids the transport of micro pollutants by 96%.