Imperative assessment on the current status of rubber wastewater treatment: Research development and future perspectives

W S M S K Wijerathna; T I P Wimalaweera; D R Samarajeewa; L M L K B Lindamulla; R M L D Rathnayake; K G N Nanayakkara; V Jegatheesan; Yuansong Wei; K B S N Jinadasa

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139512

Imperative assessment on the current status of rubber wastewater treatment: Research development and future perspectives

Chemosphere. 2023 Oct:338:139512. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139512. Epub 2023 Jul 18.

Authors

W S M S K Wijerathna¹, T I P Wimalaweera², D R Samarajeewa³, L M L K B Lindamulla⁴, R M L D Rathnayake⁵, K G N Nanayakkara⁶, V Jegatheesan⁷, Yuansong Wei⁸, K B S N Jinadasa⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: wsmsamanthi94@eng.pdn.ac.lk.
² State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. Electronic address: ishankapra@mails.ucas.ac.cn.
³ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: dinushi.s@eng.pdn.ac.lk.
⁴ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka; School of Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001, Australia. Electronic address: lahikos@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: lashithar@eng.pdn.ac.lk.
⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: nadeen@eng.pdn.ac.lk.
⁷ School of Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, 3001, Australia. Electronic address: jega.jegatheesan@rmit.edu.au.
⁸ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana Road, Kandy, 20000, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: yswei@rcees.ac.cn.
⁹ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. Electronic address: shamj@eng.pdn.ac.lk.

PMID: 37474026
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139512

Abstract

The environment has been significantly impacted by the rubber industry through the release of large quantities of wastewater during various industrial processes. Therefore, it is crucial to treat the wastewater from the rubber industry before discharging it into natural water bodies. With the understanding that alarmingly depleting freshwater sources need to be preserved for future generations, this paper reviews the status of the rubber industry and the pollution caused by them, focusing mainly on water pollution. The review pays special attention to the recent advancements in wastewater treatment techniques for rubber industry wastewater categorizing them into pre-treatment, secondary, and tertiary treatment processes while discussing the advantages and disadvantages. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature, it was determined that organic content and NH₄⁺ are the most frequently focused water quality parameters, and despite some treatment methods demonstrating superior performance, many of the methods still face limitations and require further research to improve systems to handle high organic loading on the treatment systems and to implement them in industrial scale. The paper also explores the potential of utilizing untreated or treated wastewater and byproducts of wastewater treatment in contributing towards achieving several United Nations sustainable development goals (UN-SDGs); SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 9, and SDG 12.

Keywords: Natural rubber; Pollution; Rubber industry; Sustainable use; Treatment; Wastewater.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Rubber
Sustainable Development
Wastewater*
Water Pollution
Water Purification*

Substances

Wastewater
Rubber