Academic literature on the topic 'Car wash; reused water; use of rainwater'

Este artigo demonstra a viabilidade técnica e econômica do aproveitamento de águas pluviais, em conjunto com o tratamento de águas residuárias resultantes de lavagem de veículos para reuso em centros comerciais de lavagem automotiva (lava-rápidos). O estudo descreve as principais características dos dispositivos e sistemas empregados, mostra os critérios de cálculo usados no dimensionamento do sistema e apresenta as verificações necessárias para garantia do padrão mínimo para águas de reuso, incluindo a diluição com água potável, com base em normas aplicáveis. Nesse artigo se faz a descrição das etapas, processos utilizados, dados técnicos, vantagens e desafios na implementação e operação desse sistema, que visa garantir a recirculação do efluente (águas residuárias resultantes da lavagem automotiva). A conclusão do presente estudo é que a recuperação e reuso de águas na lavagem automotiva comercial pode reduzir o consumo de água em até 70% (advinda do fornecimento público) e, como resultado, também, os custos envolvidos. A redução do impacto ambiental e da pressão sobre os sistemas de fornecimento público de água potável resultantes da adoção dessa medida em larga escala é um argumento a favor da proposta.

In recent years, people’s environmental awareness has increased. The high density of the urban population has caused a considerable increase in the demand for car washing services, which has created large quantities of car wash wastewater. The main pollutants in car wash wastewater are detergents, dirt, oil, and grease. Untreated wastewater released into rainwater sewer systems or other water bodies may pollute the water and generate excessive bubble foams, which negatively affects urban appearance. Car washes are divided into mechanical car washes and manual or self-service car washes. In general, car washes have a small operation and scale, occupy limited land, and cannot afford wastewater treatment costs. Therefore, most car washes are not equipped with wastewater treatment facilities. Consequently, the discharge of wastewater from car washes negatively affects the water quality in the surrounding environment and results in wasteful use of water resources. This study reviewed 68 research papers on the quality, treatment techniques, treatment costs, and treatment effectiveness of car wash wastewater to provide a reference for car wash operators to contribute to the preservation of water resources. We found that there is a higher chance of recycling car wash wastewater when combing two different techniques for car wash wastewater treatment.

Seven Danish rainwater systems were investigated with respect to the microbial water quality. The general microbiological quality (total numbers of bacteria (AODC)), and heterotrophic plate counts on R2A and Plate Count Agar in the toilets supplied with rainwater were approximately the same as in the reference toilets supplied with drinking water. However, in 12 of the 27 analysed samples one or more pathogens were observed (Aeromonas sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella non-pneumophila, Campylobacter jejuni, Mycobacterium avium, and Cryptosporidium sp.). These pathogens were not found in any of the reference toilets (32 toilets). This means that the use of rainwater introduced new, potentially pathogenic micro-organisms into the households which would normally not occur in toilets supplied with water from waterworks. Furthermore, four graywater systems were investigated where water from the shower and hand wash basin was reused. The graywater systems gave more problems in terms of bad smell and substantially higher numbers of E. coli and Enterococcus in some toilet bowls supplied with graywater.

Suspended substances in car washes can often be easily removed by physicochemical processes. The main problem is to remove dissolved substances such as detergents from the water. In this study, a biodegradable substance Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) was removed from the car wash wastewater by the use of Phragmites australis in the subsurface constructed wetland. For this study, 4 plexiglass reactors having an effective volume of 10.8 L with the dimensions of 15cm×45cm×20 cm were used. The experiments were conducted with vegetation which was called SCW and without vegetation which was named control group (CG), as two groups. A serial connection of two reactors was performed for each group. Up to 90% detergent removal was observed with the vegetation in the SCW with a loading rate of 75 L/(m2.d) The effluents quality showed that the treated water can be reused carwash or irrigation for landscaping.

The topic of water reuse is becoming increasingly important. It might be possible to use the well-known antibacterial effect of atmospheric pressure plasma due to its special mixture of reactive species, UV, and electromagnetic fields in a scaled-up, industrially interesting area to remove bacteria from wastewater, and thus, make it usable again. To review this question, water volumes of 5L and of different qualities (turbidity and different degrees of hardness) were treated with a commercially available plasma system. The change in water-specific values such as pH, EC, ORP, nitrate, and nitrite content was determined. To test the antibacterial effect, both direct and indirect treatment of the test germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa was conducted. In the first case, the inoculated water samples were plasma-treated, while in the second case, the water samples were treated before inoculation with the germ. The viable bacteria were counted via the spread plate method. The best reduction rate of at least 6 log levels was achieved when inoculated deionized water samples were treated directly with plasma. A significant reduction in viability was also observed in directly treated clear tap water samples, whereby the different degrees of hardness did not influence the effectiveness of the plasma. The bacterial load remained almost unchanged when reused water samples from a car wash were treated. Based on the results, a possible application in a car wash was discussed including a cost estimation and possible limitations.

The University of Sharjah is a leading educational and research institution in the Gulf region. To stimulate the different aspects of sustainability in education and research as well as to ensure the implementation of sustainability concepts throughout the University campus operations, the concept of sustainability circles is implemented. The University being in hot-arid-zone and mostly surrounded by desert terrain relies on unconventional water conservation programs and initiatives such as the use of innovation & technology, reuse and recycling of water, and awareness campaigns. In line with such programs, the use of potable water is limited for hygiene purposes and wastewater generated within the University is reused after treatment to irrigate the vast green spaces through the most efficient irrigation water application systems. Examples of water conservation practices include use of efficient water devices, reuse of treated greywater for toilet flushing at a selected location, water quality monitoring, preservation to conserve water for its intended use, promoting waterless car wash on the campus grounds etc. On-campus water is also conserved through disseminating knowledge and awareness to the University community and beyond through various sustainability related programs and initiatives organized by Sustainability Office for water conservation and environmental protection.

Water is critical for all life on the planet. Rapid industrialization and urbanization has caused India to face a water crisis since it has only 4 percent of the world’s water resources. In order to resolve the crisis, India has to look for alternative water resources which may include rainwater harvesting, grey water and sewage reuse and desalination. Grey water is defined as waste water generated from the bathroom, laundry and kitchens. Nearly 70 percent of the water used in households results in grey water which can be treated using simple technology and reused. Reuse of grey water reduces the fresh water requirements and reduces the amount of sewage sent to treatment plants. An integrated approach is needed to manage the water and waste water treatment so that water supply is kept clean and waste water is recycled for beneficial use in agriculture and industry. Water and energy are important resources in the 21st century. Water is required to supply energy, and energy is required to supply water. The reclamation of wastewater can contribute significantly to the conservation of water and energy resources. Wastewater reclamation and reuse can relieve water scarcity. Reclaimed wastewater can be substituted for natural water. Wastewater is now extensively recognized as an important source of water in water-scarce countries. In recent years not only the threats of improper greywater management have been recognized; there is an increasing international recognition that greywater reuse, if properly done, has a great potential as alternative water source for purposes such as irrigation, toilet flushing, car washing and others.

Currently, there are 86 communities in the U.S. which employ waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities as a means of high quality solid waste disposal. The WTE process beneficially produces electricity while reducing the volume of landfill waste by up to 90 percent, thereby extending the remaining life of a community’s landfill more than ten-fold. However, the traditional WTE process requires a significant volume of water. This interdependency is often referred to as the “water-energy nexus.” An innovative approach was needed to optimize water conservation for a new 3,000-ton-per-day (TPD) mass burn WTE facility in Palm Beach County (PBREF2). With this in mind, a cascading water management system (CWMS) was developed that uses alternative water supply sources and a cascading hierarchy of water systems that maximize reuse to meet the new facility’s water needs. The selection of an air-cooled condenser to be used for cooling purposes, instead of the wet cooling systems traditionally in place at these facilities will also significantly reduce the amount of water needed in the overall process. The WTE facility will be constructed adjacent to an existing 2,000-TPD refuse-derived fuel facility (PBREF1), allowing beneficial reuse of some of the cooling tower blowdown from the RDF facility as a source of supply water in the new facility. The reuse of this process wastewater will conserve clean water sources that otherwise would have to be used as a source of makeup to the new facility, as well as reduce the amount of wastewater disposed through deep-well injection from the RDF facility. Harvested rainwater and industrial supply well water will also be used as alternative sources of supply to the new facility. The innovative CWMS will maximize reuse and reduce the amount of makeup water needed to the system. As water conservation continues to be of high concern in all areas of the globe, this concept can be applied to other WTE and industrial facilities. This paper will provide an overview of the innovative CWMS that has been designed for the PBREF2 facility.

Background: The global environment is gradually deteriorating, environmental problems are beginning to attract attention, urban green area and water surface area is getting smaller and smaller, but the roof as a side of the building is often neglected, is a piece of space environment in the city has not been fully developed. The form of green roof can take into account the architectural landscape, extend the life of the building, and also improve the urban ecological environment. Based on the consideration of ecological environment and development space, the roof of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology Changshan Campus, which will be officially opened in 2020, can be used as a rooftop garden to create an activity space for teachers and students that optimizes the rooftop environment and extends the life of the building.Research Objective: This paper is designed from the needs of the audience, combining ergonomics for space partitioning and proposing design priorities. By analyzing the audience's needs for different functional partitions, the way of interaction between the audience and the environment in the space is designed to solve the problem of sustainable utilization of rooftop resources.Research Methodology: This paper establishes a theoretical knowledge system by studying the development history of rooftop gardens and basic knowledge such as design principles, analyzes the environment and audience population, and combines ergonomics to focus on functional design and related details. A questionnaire survey was conducted among school teachers and students. 90.1% of the audience considered the aesthetic appearance of the rooftop garden to be the most important, followed by function and quality. 96.9% of the audience wanted a suitable space for rest and conversation in the rooftop garden, followed by a reading and learning space and a viewing platform.Findings: The design takes into account roof safety, ergonomics, and the usage needs of campus students and faculty, and divides the roof plan into five zones to create a spatial environment with different functions. Finally, based on ergonomics, the design of tables and chairs for the roof garden, the design of interactive landscape facilities and the design of rainwater retention performance are combined with suitable human size parameters to create a sustainable roof space with both aesthetics and multifunctionality around the above design focus. Specific design elements are as follows.(1) The table and chair area provides an open space for people to rest and study. It is made in the form of a tree table. The shape is transformed from a gear form to a more rounded and gentle organic form. The shape of the table and chairs match the physiological curve of the human body, which is ergonomic and feels natural and comfortable in the hand, and the size of the chairs reach 90% and 95% of the population size data.(2) The interactive landscape installation in the entrance area is a circular gravity-sensitive swing, with curves that fit the human body and sensing lights that allow teachers and students to visualize the flow of people in the garden. It makes the interaction between people and the environment more intimate, allowing users to generate and transmit emotions, and improving fun and playability.(3) Design three water storage tanks for storing water, with specifications set at 1 m×1 m×0.5 m. The storage tanks and control boxes are set on the top outdoor ground and designed as an automatic irrigation system that can collect, purify and reuse rainwater, allowing the roof to solve the problem of rainwater resource utilization while improving ecology.Significance of the study: The rooftop garden is significant in that it makes use of the space resources that have been set aside to green the campus and improve the ecological environment on the one hand; on the other hand, it provides space for teachers and students to engage in leisure activities, regulates people's psychological state and improves their quality of life. It improves the quality and value of the building and the ecological environment of the city at the same time.