Rubab Ammad

Date of Award

11-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Environmental Science

First Advisor

Dr. Rezaul K. Chowdhury

Second Advisor

Taoufik Ksiksi

Third Advisor

Dr. Kazi Parvez Fatta

Abstract

The wastewater treatment study was conducted as a part of the efforts initiated by the UAE government for combating water shortage in the country by adopting the strategy of water conservation and reuse. This study investigated the performance of two water sensitive urban design systems, the Permeable Pavement and the Bioretention System, in improving the wastewater quality from fish tanks. Conventionally, these systems are used for storm water treatment but as UAE is situated in an arid climatic zone and experiences minimal rainfall, the two systems in undertaken study have been used in treatment of wastewater to gage their performance abilities. Field scale Bioretention and Permeable Pavement units were constructed at the Falaj Hazza campus of the UAE University. Wastewater from fish tanks was supplied to these units from the existing fish tanks in the Aquaculture Research Center, located in close proximity to these units. During the study, a number of physical and chemical water quality parameters were monitored, including pH, conductivity, salinity, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand, and heavy metals (lead and chromium). The outcomes of the study have delineated the performance capabilities of both systems in treating the wastewater from the fish tanks and have also provided an insight into the systems’ mechanics which could be addressed to enhance these capabilities of both systems. Bioretention System was able to remove phosphate, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, and oxidation reduction potential from the influent water, whereas Permeable Pavement System was very effective in removing lead and reducing salinity of fish tank wastewater.

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