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Sungai River, Malaysia

INTRODUCTION:

Sungai River is an open channel sewage drain, 4 km in length, which carries raw sewage from a section of the city of Alor Setar directly to Sungai Kedah, and then eventually to the sea. Typical problems associated with the Sungai River is as follows:

1. Heavy organic solids suspended in water which is unattractive to guests and tourists visiting the area as well as detrimental to any aquatic life.
2. Foul odor discharge.
3. High maintenance requirement of the overall facility due to build up of organic matter.
4. Accumulation of heavy organic solids on bottom of channel.
5. Little or no dissolved oxygen present in the water which causes the foul odors and limits the amount of degradation of the waste material.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this application is to reduce the organic solids build up, improve the overall appearance, and reduce the foul odor discharge from the river with the application of Bio-2000 RCU Formulation.

METHODS

The initial section of the drain, 1.2 km in length, was isolated from the rest with sand bags. This provided a smaller volume of treatment for the demonstration as well as allowed more accurate sampling of the effluent flowing from this section.

The calculated shock dosage of Bio-2000 was diluted with waste water from the drain and then spray applied to the surface as well as injected directly into the solids below the surface. The purpose of the injection was to permit the Bio-2000 to come into contact with the sludge accumulated on the bottom as well as to agitate the solids to ensure adequate distribution of the product.

The daily dosage requirement of Bio-2000 was mixed in weekly batches, diluted with water, and contained in a 210 litre drum. A valving system permitted this to be calibrated to allow the weekly dosage to continuously drip into the drain over the entire week. This supplied the required dosage of Bio-RCU necessary to treat the fresh sewage entering the drain on a daily basis.

OBSERVATIONS

The most obvious result from the addition of Bio-2000 to the drain was the complete elimination of foul odor as judged by local residents. The reduction in the odor was noticed within 12 hours after the shock dosage application of Bio-2000. The odor reduction was maintained throughout the complete demonstration period.

The other quantitative result which was obvious was the change in the colour of the water. On Day 1 of the Bio-2000 treatment program, the colour of the surface was black and the depth of visibility was zero. After only one week the colour of the drain turned very green, indicating that much of the suspended organic solid matter had been digested.

By the final week (Week 6) of treatment, the colour had turned to a grey indicating a much lower organic content within the water. The visibility had also increased to approximately 12" revealing small pieces of solids floating to the surface and undergoing digestion. This is a typical phenomenon caused by the acceleration of biological activity at the bottom of the surface. This causes the accumulated solids to loosen and float upwards. Once these solids are fully digested the surface will undergo clearing.

Laboratory analysis showed a tremendous increase in the quality of water at the effluent source. There was over a 75% decrease in both the BOD and Suspended Solids (SS) of the effluent samples. The samples taken from the middle section of the drain indicated a 57% decrease in the BOD and SS. The Total Coliform count was also significantly reduced by more than 95% in both of the sample sets over the 6 week treatment period.

SUMMARY

The treatment of an isolated section of Sungai River with Bio-2000 proved to be a very effective means of improving the overall appearance of the drain. The discharge of foul odor was effectively eliminated within a short period of time. The heavy build up of organic solids underwent significant reduction resulting in a significant improvement in the clarity of the water. Bio-2000 was also very effective in reducing the Suspended Solids (SS) and BOD which would result in an improved quality of waste water being discharged into the receiving streams. This not only improves the overall environmental quality of the closely surrounding areas, but reduces the overall negative environmental impact that this area has on the receiving bodies of water.