Investigating the Efficacy of Imam Hossein Hospital Wastewater Treatment Plant

Abstract

Introduction: Hospitals, due to their huge range of activities, generate vast amount of wastewater which, because of its great pollution, must be purified via appropriate procedures. Imam Hossein Hospital also has an extended aeration wastewater treatment plant. This investigation was done to determine the efficacy of this plant and the possibility of reusing the resulting effluent for green space irrigation or discharging it in the environment of the present study.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was done upon Imam Hossein hospital wastewater treatment plant for 8 months, from April to November, 2008. In the study, the parameters of COD, BOD₅, TSS, pH, Total and fecal coliform in the incoming and outgoing wastewater were determined through standard methods and were compared with standard values for green space irrigation set by the Environment Protection Organization through t-test.

Results: Results show that the mean values of pH, TSS, COD, BOD₅, and the geometric means of total and fecal coliforms MPN/100ml in the effluent were: 6.95, 179mg/lit, 145 mg/lit, 298mg/lit and 2.8×10⁴ and 1.54×10⁴, respectively. Removal percentages for TSS, COD, BOD₅, Total and fecal coli forms were 46.11, 30.1, 39.99, 99.37 and 99.39, respectively, that show significant differences between these measurements and their standard values for green space irrigation set by the Environment Protection Organization (P<0.001).

Conclusion: In case of using treatment plant effluent for agricultural or landscape irrigation, reduction of chemical and microbial pollution, the limits recommended by Iranian Environment Protection Organization must be considered.