Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Every community produce both liquid and solid wastes and air emissions. It is

known that these wastes also affect our environment. One of the major problems that our

community faces today is the liquid waste, most specifically, wastewater. Palawan State

University is not excused with this problem, specifically the PSU canteen, because the

wastewater of the said canteen is directly damped into the sea near the university that

causes damage to the life of sea creatures. Since the university faces the same problem,

we have arrived in this research.

Wastewater may be defined as a combination of the liquid or water-carried

wastes removed from residences, institutions, and commercial and industrial

establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water and stormwater as may be

present (Tchobanoglous et. al, 1998). One of the solutions devised to solve wastewater is

wastewater treatment. Wastewater treatment is the process of converting wastewater into

bilge water that can be discharged back into the environment (Rinkesh, 2009).

The proponents are planning to use charcoal as odor remover and random fibre as

a substitution to slow sand filter to solve the grey water problem of the said university

canteen. Sand filtration is used for the removal of suspended matter, as well as floating

and sinkable particles. The wastewater flows vertically through a fine bed of sand and/or

gravel. Particles are removed by way of absorption or physical encapsulation. If there is

excessive pressure loss on the filter, it must be rinsed (WASS, 2009).

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The proponents seek to find new way of wastewater filter and design of the tank

that is appropriate for the PSU-Canteen. We will also determine the volume flowrate of

wastewater discharged and the efficiency of fibre as a filter and charcoal used as odor

remover in wastewater treatment.

If it is found that wastewater treatment can improve the efficiency of fibres as

filter and charcoal as remover of odor, then it could potentially be a substitute for

synthetic and inorganic materials as a filter. It can also help the rising problem of

wastewater around the world. The discovery of other way of treating wastewater like the

use of fibres and charcoals would add to the innovation of wastewater system especially

since charcoals and fibres are low-valued by products. This can ease the production of the

main materials since the said materials can also be bought in public markets. This

research may also be used as a reference for other studies related to natural way of

wastewater treatment, as well as studies on the essential uses of charcoals and fibres.

The researchers will focus on the improvement of the efficiency of charcoal and

fibre in wastewater treatment through filtration. It will be tested through determination of

the discharge of waste from the water spilled from the canteen’s basins and comfort

rooms that are also known as grey waters, specifically waters that are from the slops

which can be easily filter due to its light viscosity at the water will be discussed. Other

elements such as black waste which includes wastewater from septic tanks (human waste

and solid waste), the lifetime of the materials used and the use of the water disposed from

the discharge will not be discussed.