Plant Based Water Clarification: Eco Friendly Solutions for Developing Countries

Date: March 21st 2019
Time: 1:00 PM 
Location: TASC2 8570
Speaker: Ghulam Hussain

Abstract

Surface water is an important fresh water resource around the world. In developing countries, around 159 million people use surface water for drinking purposes, without any treatment. Many public water supplies in developed countries (66% in USA and 35-45% in Europe) are also based on surface water sources. Water resources, in developing countries, are polluted heavily by discharge of untreated industrial effluents. “Coagulation” is an important unit process in surface water treatment plants (SWTPs) and industrial effluents treatment plants (IETPs). Metallic salts (alum and iron salts) and polymers are mostly used coagulants in SWTPs and IETPs around the world. Though efficient in removing pollutants, these have certain accompanying disadvantages. Plant-based natural coagulants can act as potential alternatives to most of the commonly used chemical coagulants. Not only have Plant-based coagulants been found to be eco-friendly they can generally be classified as non-toxic and produce less sludge in comparison to chemical coagulants. This presentation will focus on the findings of a study, conducted by the speaker, for evaluating coagulation potential of some plant-based natural coagulants for treatment of surface water and industrial effluents. Extracts from seeds of Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), Black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata) and Soybean (Glycine max L.) were evaluated for treatment of turbid water. Moreover, two species of Cactus (Opuntia stricta and Euphorbia acrurensis) were appraised for treatment of industrial effluents. The studied plant-based coagulants were compared with alum, a conventional coagulant, in respect to efficacy, cost and sustainability.

About the Speaker

Ghulam Hussain is an Environmental Engineer who is pursuing his PhD degree at Institute of Environmental Engineering and Research (IEER), University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore Pakistan. Mr. Ghulam has been engaged, since last 10 years, in teaching and research at IEER, UET. He has contributed to scientific knowledge with 13 research publications in peer reviewed journals. He has also provided advisory and consultancy services for many projects of public interest, while working with some Pakistani organizations and international agencies like World bank and UNICEF. The core areas of his research and field work are water/wastewater management and sustainable development. He has recently joined School of Resource and Environmental Management, SFU as visiting PhD Scholar under Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee scholarship program, to broaden his knowledge, research and experience.