Water pathways through the ages: Integrated laundry wastewater treatment for pollution prevention

Kah Chun Ho; Yeit Haan Teow; Jing Yao Sum; Zhe Jia Ng; Abdul Wahab Mohammad

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143966

Water pathways through the ages: Integrated laundry wastewater treatment for pollution prevention

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Mar 15:760:143966. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143966. Epub 2020 Dec 8.

Authors

Kah Chun Ho¹, Yeit Haan Teow², Jing Yao Sum³, Zhe Jia Ng⁴, Abdul Wahab Mohammad⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, SEGi University, Kota Damansara, Selangor, Malaysia; Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
² Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Electronic address: yh_teow@ukm.edu.my.
³ Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment, UCSI University, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
⁵ Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

PMID: 33341611
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143966

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and the rising global population have led to the generation of substantial volumes of laundry wastewater. Accordingly, treatment of laundry wastewater has been advocated to curb water pollution and achieve water sustainability. However, technological limitations in treating (specifically) laundry wastewater and the lack of regulations governing the levels of contaminants for such discharges have been perennial problems. This review bridges the knowledge gap by delineating the feasibility of current technologies in laundry wastewater treatment and the experiences of various countries in adopting different approaches. Besides, the feasible methods for collecting laundry wastewater are elaborated. The development of the treatment technologies is highlighted, in which the integrated-treatment processes (physicochemical, biological, and combination of both) are critically discussed based on their functions and methods. A judicious selection of the technologies not only improves the energy efficiency and quality of the treated wastewater, but also mitigates capitals and operational costs. This is projected to enhance public acceptance towards the reuse of laundry wastewater. Thus, the comprehensive assessment herein is envisioned to insightfully guide national policymakers in exploring the viability of the technologies and water-recycling projects. Future research should focus on the techno-economic aspects of the treatment processes, especially their industrial scale-up.

Keywords: Integrated-treatment process; Laundry wastewater; Laundry wastewater collection; Sustainable process development; Water reclamation.

Publication types

Review