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Design of a car wash waste water treatment process for local car wash stations

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 JPIChE 45 (2) 2017:83-95

Journal of Pakistan Institute of Chemical Engineers

Since 1969 journal homepage: www.piche.org.pk/journal

Submitted on 24.7.17

Design of a car wash waste water treatment process for local car wash stations
Jamil Ahmad1, Muhammad Umar1, Syed Shujat karim1, Muhammad Amaduddin1, Kareem Akhtar2,
Feroz Shah2, Altaf Hussain3

Abstract
The car wash water treatment and recycling study was conducted using laboratory
scale coagulation flocculation followed by sand & gravel filtration unit. Results obtained
have been submitted for publishing and currently under review process. Based upon the
results obtained a treatment and recycling process was designed for the actual 16.2
m3/day car wash water in the current study. The process comprised of a coagulation
flocculation tank, coagulant storage tank, a sand and gravel filter and a final treated
water storage tank. Different design options along with merits and demerits of each one
were proposed. The final design selected includes and underground coagulation
flocculation tank, a sand & gravel filter at a height of 6 m above the ground level and a
coagulant storage tank and treated water storage tank both located at the ground level.
The design dimensions of various units calculated are, 1 m3 of coagulant storage tank,
4.35 m high and 2.175 m diameter of coagulation flocculation tank, A sand and gravel
filter with 2.5 m2 surface area and a 20 m3 water storage tank. The total cost of the
treatment system including fixed cost of Rs 407049 and running cost of Rs 438135 was
calculated as Rs 845184.
11Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar
3 Department of Basic Sciences, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar
* Corresponding author engrjamilahmad@gmail.com

83
1. Introduction
The world population is increasing at a
fast rate. The increase in population has
a negative impact on the quality of
environment by virtue of utilization of
more natural sources and resources [1].
On the other hand the rapid increase in
industries have resulted in the
generation of solid, liquid and gaseous
waste. Most industries are associated
with the discharge of waste water. The
waste water from chemical industries
are toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic.
They need to be treated before being
discarded. Some of the treatment
technologies are reviewed by M.O.
Awaleh et al [2]. Contrary to the end of
pipe treatment, nowadays waste
minimization, recycling and cleaner
production is growing. This approach
has a two fold benefit as it reduces the
level of contamination as well as
conserves the waste as a useful
resource. Four thousand liters of waste
water was treated and recycled from a
local refinery and was used for irrigation
purpose [3]. The same approach of
recycling and reusing waste water can
be extended to other applications as
well. The increasing number of car wash
service stations requires to treat the
effluent waste water before discharging
outside. Car wash water contain dirt,
surfactants and oil. Literature review
shows various approaches being used
to tackle this problem. Zaneti et al
investigated the use of flocculation,
sand filtration and chlorination method
for the treatment of car wash water and
found that recycling and reuse of water
in this method is feasible with a payback
period of only one year [4-5]. Ida Alicia
used coagulation, ozonation and MBR
technologies to the treatment of car
wash waste water and found that MBR
has been a promising treatment method
[6]. About 2.5 million gallons of fresh
water is used daily in Kuwait for car
washing. The fresh water is obtained
from desalination which requires huge
capital investment. Study conducted on
the car wash waste water recycling and
reusing showed that about 75% of water
needed for car washing can be obtained
from the recycled water with additional
fresh water requirement of only 25% [7].
A nanofilteration membrane NF 270 was
used and its effectiveness was
compared with Ultrafiltration membranes
polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF) and
polyethersulfone (PES) for the car wash
water treatment. It was found that the
nanofiltration membrane was more
effective than the ultrafilration
membrane in reducing TDS and
conductivity [8]. J. Ahmad et al used a
simple sand and gravel filter for the
treatment and reuse of laundry waste
water. The treated water was used for
the first rinse inside the laundry house.
About 1.80 m3/day of water was
reclaimed with a payback period of less
than one year[9].The present study aims
84
to design a treatment and recycling
process for the car wash water based
upon survey from local car wash
stations. Part of this study including
laboratory results and coagulation,
flocculation and sand & gravel filtration
has already been submitted for
publishing. Based upon the laboratory
results obtained, this design offer a low
cost treatment which may be
implemented to local car wash waste
water treatment, recycling and reuse.
2. Materials and methods
2.1 Survey
Based upon initial survey of 12 car wash
service stations the calculated amount
of water used on one car was found to
be 450 l. One service station was
selected for the design purpose. The
average cars washed in this station was
around 30. With 20 % design
consideration, the total cars calculated
was 36 and the treatment system for 36
x 450 = 16200 l was designed.
2.2 Coagulation & flocculation
process
Solid liquid solution is available in three
forms a. suspension where solid are
suspended inside the liquid and are
called as total suspended solids (TSS).
These TSS can be removed from the
liquid by sedimentation. b. true solution
where solids are present in the form of
dissolved solids and are called as total
dissolved solids (TDS). These TDS
have size smaller than the TSS and
cannot be removed by physical methods
as sedimentation. c. coagulated state. In
this state solids are smaller in size than
the TSS and bigger than TDS. The
solids cannot be separated from the
liquid by physical means. A chemical is
added to the solution. The chemical
react with the solid and detach it from
the liquid making a small floc comprised
of the coagulant and the solid. This
process is called coagulation. However
the rate of sedimentation and separation
of this floc is very slow. In order to
accelerate the separation process,
either a rapid mixing of the solution is
carried out or chemical called flocculant
is added. The flocculant facilitate the
combination of small flocs into large
flocs. Consequently the flocs are settled
easily. This process is called as
flocculation. In the current study Ferrous
sulphate was used as a coagulant for
this purpose. The coagulant was
purchased from local market.
2.3 Sedimentation
After coagulation flocculation the bigger
flocs formed are allowed to settle down
at the bottom of the container or tank by
allowing specific sedimentation time. At
the end the solid flocs settled and form a
fluffy mass called as sludge which
needs proper disposal.
2.4 Filtration
Filtration is a process in which solids are
removed from the liquid. Sand and
gravel filter has a natural tendency for
the adsorption of dirt and small solids
present in the liquid. Sand & gravel filter
is used in the current study to remove
85
the fine dirt, scale and solid impurities
present in the liquid that was not
possible to be removed in the
coagulation flocculation process. The
sand and gravel bed becomes saturated
with the removed solid particles after
some time. The bed is regenerated in a
process called backwashing, in which
water is pumped from below the filter to
carry away solids from the sand and
gravel filter bed. In this way the bed is
cleaned for fresh filtration. A typical
sand and gravel filter used is shown in
Figure1 [10].
Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of
sand filter setup
3. Results and discussion
3.1 Proposed designs
The total quantity of car wash water
from the selected service station per day
was 16200 l. The treatment process was
designed based upon this amount of
water. A number of proposed designs
may be possible. In proposed design 1
as shown in Figure 2, all the equipments
are present underground. The waste
water from the car wash is fed directly
into the coagulation tank through
drainage. When the flocculation tank
reached to the required level of waste
water coagulation & flocculation process
is started. After coagulation &
Flocculation, the heavy particles settles
down to the bottom of the tank after
some time. The clear water from the top
is fed to the sand filter via pump. Sand
filters are very good at removing small
sized suspended solids. The filtrate
coming out of the sand filter is then fed
to the storage tank from where it is
reused for car washing. The pump is
required after the storage tank. As the
whole plant is built underground,
therefore extra land or space is not
needed and the plant will be safe from
environmental impacts like rain, winds
etc. However it is very expensive to
design the whole plant underground.
Moreover the pressure needed in the
sand filter alone by the pump may not
be sufficient and additional height may
be required for the filter which due to the
underground restriction may not be
possible. The treated water will need
additional pumping cost for bringing it to
the ground level for reuse and the whole
process may not be feasible.
86
 Fig. 2: Proposed process design # 1
Another process design has been
proposed which is shown in Figure 3. In
the second proposed process design, all
the units except the coagulation
flocculation tank are installed above the
ground. The waste water from the car
wash is fed directly into the coagulation
tank through drainage. The sand &
gravel filter and storage tank both can
be kept at the roof together with filter at
the top and storage tank at the bottom.
From the storage tank treated water can
be used for car wash. As the whole
plant is built on the above the ground so
there is no need for strict maintenance.
It will be relatively easy to install and
remove equipment’s for repairing or
maintenance. Overall the installation of
the plant will be economical as no
excavation is required. However care
must be taken to keep the treatment
system safe from adverse weather
effects. Also the construction/availability
of sand & gravel filter and storage tank
both at the roof may be a problem due
to space limitations at the roof. The
combination of both the sand & gravel
filter and storage tank one above the
other may create problems during
maintenance, specially for the treated
storage tank.
87
 Fig. 3: Proposed process design # 2
In the 3rd proposed design shown in
Figure 4, the coagulation– flocculation
tank is installed underground, the sand
filter at the roof and pump and storage
tank at the ground. This design may be
feasible if space at the roof is limited.
Moreover it makes the maintenance of
Fig. 4:. Proposed process design # 3
3.2 Back washing
The Process of backwashing is
shown in the Figure 5. Back washing
is done to remove the dirt particles
from sand, as the particles and dust
present in water clogs the sand. As
filteration of waste water is
decreasing the void fraction of filter
which decreases the efficiency,
therefore back washing of the filter is
necessary from time to time. Back
washing is done via fresh or treated
water having backward flow. In the
current study the treated water is
used for back washing. As shown on
the storage tank easy and reduces the
cost as well. It removes most of the
difficulties present in the first two
proposed process design. Compared
with the previous two proposed design
this design is much more economical.
the diagram, there will be two inlets
for the pump.
• One form the coagulation-
flocculation tank for normal
process.
• The second one from the
storage tank for back
washing.
Similarly, there would be two outlets
for the pump.
• First one on the top of filter for
normal filtration process.
• The second one is to the
bottom of the filter for back
washing.
88
For filtration, the valves V3, V5 and V6
will be closed and valves V1, V2 and V4
will be open. So the pump sucks the
water from the coagulation-flocculation
tank and discharge into the filter media.
The water slowly seeps through the
sand sticking the dirt particles with it and
clear water comes out from the bottom
of the filter. For back washing, the
Fig.5:Car wash waste water treatment plant with back washing.
3.3 Equipment and process design
There are different units in car wash
waste water treatment plant, Such as
• Coagulation & flocculation unit
• Coagulant storage unit
• Sand & gravel filter
• Treated water storage tank
The designing of each unit is given
separately. Starting with the design flow
of 16.2 m3/day,
Coagulation flocculation unit
valves V3, V5 and V6 will be open and
valves V1, V2 and V4 will be closed.
The pump will suck clear water from the
storage tank and discharge it to the
bottom of the filter. The water under
pressure will rise from the sand bed and
take the dirt with it to the top. The Water
can be removed from the top of the filter
via valve V3.
For coagulation & flocculation the length
to diameter ratio was kept equal to 2.
The main design dimensions are shown
in Figure 6 and can be summarized as
follows
Total height of coagulation & flocculation
tank = 4.3507 m
Diameter of the tank (L/D = 2)
= 2.175 m
Impeller height = H-B = (4.3507 – 1.74)
m = 2.6107 m
89

Fig.6: Coagulation and flocculation tank
Coagulant storage tank
The coagulant storage tank was
designed on the basis of Ferrous
Sulphate optimum dose found in
achieving minimum turbidity in the
previous study that was 6 mg/l. So for
16200 l of water the total amount of
ferrous sulphate needed per day
becomes 0.0972 kg. A concentrated
stock solution of ferrous sulphate is
required. The solubility of ferrous
sulphate in water at 25 OC is 295 g/l. For
an assumed strength of 1000 mg/l the
total amount of stock solution needed
per day can be calculated as.
C1V1 = C2V2
6mg/l x 16200 l = X x 1000 mg/l
X = 6 x 16200 /1000 = 97.2 l
For one week (7 days) the total volume of
stock solution needed is 97.2 x 7 = 680.4 l
So the dimensions of the coagulant storage
tank may be taken as 0.6804 m3 = 0.684 m3
20 % excess = 0.82 m3, rounded to 1 m3 as
shown in Figure 7.
Fig.7: Coagulant storage tank
Sand & gravel filter
The design of sand and gravel filter is
depicted in Figure 8. Thickness of the
layers of sand and gravel were
calculated from the properties of sand
and gravel as given in Table 1. An
allowance of 0.5 m height space was
kept for keeping water over the filter to
exert pressure over the sand and gravel
for steady flow rate. Similarly an
allowance of 0.2 m was kept at the
bottom for steady flow downwards to the
90
storage tank. For the treatment of 16.2 Gravel Filter Sand
m3/day, sand & gravel filter surface area Diameter(mm) 12-16 0.3-0.4
of 2.5 m2 would give a loading rate of
Porosity 0.37 0.35
6.48 m3/m2.day which is consistent with
the range given in the literature [11]. Density(kg/m3) 1680 1328
Volume(m3) 0.0028 0.011
Length(m) 0.077 0.30
Table 1 Properties of sand and gravel
used.
3. 4 Cost of the treatment system
The total cost of the treatment system
includes fixed cost and running cost. The
fixed cost of the system is shown in Table 2.
The Fixed cost of the treatment system is Rs
407049 including 1 lac labor cost. The
operational cost or running cost per year is
given in Table 3. It includes the electricity
cost of pumping for filtration, backwashing,
stirring for coagulation flocculation and
coagulant daily consumption. Beside this
labor and maintenance cost is also included
and the total running cost is Rs 438135. The
total cost which is the sum of fixed cost and
running cost becomes Rs 845184.

Fig. 8 Design of sand & gravel filter

91
Table 2 Fixed cost of the treatment process (1 $ = 105 PKR)

Components Material needed Cost/ton Total cost

(Rs) (Rs)
Coagulation & 5.3 tons 12600 66780
Flocculation Tank
Stirrer with Motor 4meter shaft with - 28000
4 blades
propeller
Sand 2.0 tons 3150 6300
Gravel 0.840 tons 2100 1764
Sand & Gravel Filter 3.44 tons 32000 110080
Media
Housing/Structure
Centrifugal Pump 0.25 hp - 3250
Pipe (normal 20 m 94/meter 1880
filtration process)
Pipe for back 15 m 94/meter 1410
washing
Elbows 5 elbows 147/ elbow 735
Valves 5 valves 840 /valve 4200
Cement 30 bags 550/bag 16500
Coagulant Storage - 3150/m3 3150
Container (Tank)
Water Storage Tank 20 m3 3150/m3 63000
Total Cost 307049
Labor Cost 100000
Total 407049

92
Table 3: Running Costs
Component Units/day Unit price Cost(Rs/day) Cost (Rs/Year)
(Rs)
Pumping cost for 0.93 kwh 15 14 5110
filtration
Pumping cost for 0.558 kwh 15 8.37 3055
backwashing
Stirrer motor cost 0.205 kwh 15 3.0 1095
for coagulation
flocculation
Coagulant dose 0.05 M ton 10500 525 191625

Maintenance - - 650 237250

with labor cost
Total(Rs) 438135
Gross total(Rs) Capital cost + Running cost 845184

4. Conclusion
A process was designed for 16.2 m3/day
car wash water treatment and recycling. The
process comprised of a coagulation
flocculation tank, coagulation storage tank, a
sand and gravel filter and a Final treated
water storage tank. Three different
configurations of these units were
considered during design. The advantages
and disadvantages of each configuration
were mentioned. The final design selected
includes coagulation flocculation tank
underground, the sand & gravel filter at a
References
1. P.R.Ehrlich and J.P.Holdren,
Impact of Population Growth,
Science, New Series, Vol. 171,
No. 3977 (1971), pp. 1212-1217
height of 6 m above the ground level while
the coagulant storage tank and the treated
water storage tank at the ground. The
design dimensions of various units
calculated can be expressed as 1 m3 of
coagulant storage tank, coagulation
flocculation tank with 4.35 m height and
2.175 m diameter, A sand and gravel filter
with 2.5 m2 surface area and a water storage
tank of 20 m3. The total cost of the treatment
system including fixed cost and running cost
calculated was Rs 845184.
2. M.O. Awaleh and Y.D. Soubaneh.
Waste Water Treatment in
Chemical Industries: The Concept
and Current Technologies, Hydrol
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