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International J. of Engg. Research & Indu. Appls. (IJERIA).
ISSN 0974-1518, Vol.7, No. II (May 2014), pp. 73-84



PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL ROUGHING FILTER
FOR AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY WASTEWATER



I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V. B. PATIL
Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology,
Pune, Maharashtra, India.




Abstract
Rouhing filtration is an important pre-treatment process for wastewater, because it efficiently
separates fine solid particles over prolonged periods, without the addition of chemicals. For this study,
a laboratory scale plant was designed. The design and sizes of model are guided by Weglins Design
criteria. Gravel and plastic was used as filter media for the removal of turbidity and other parameters
etc.












---------------------------------
Keywords: wastewater treatment, horizontal roughing filtration

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74 I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V.B. PATIL
1. INTRODUCTION
Industrial pollution is one of the problem presently facing all the world and several efforts
are being vigorously pursued to control it. Wastewater systems are designed to treat water
become polluted by our day to day activities. If untreated wastewater is discharged into
natural water courses, it can cause public health and environmental problems.
Automobile industrial sector is one of the most important and largest industrial sectors of
India. It is one of the leading segments of the Indian economy. Automobile wastewater
contains substantial pollution loads in terms of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD),
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total Dissolved Solid
(TDS) and heavy metals. It is typically alkaline, brown colored and has slightly high BOD
and high COD also high total solids (Wastewater treatment by Rao, Datta). conventional
physico-chemical, biological, chlorination and ozonation treatment processes used are
having certain problems associated with them. Also the treatment involves large amount of
acid, coagulants and energy. So there is need of effective and low cost technology for
treatment of wastewater.
Roughing filtration process efficiently separate fine solid particles over prolonged periods
without addition of chemicals. Roughing filters mainly acts as physical filters and reduce the
solid mass. However, the large filter surface area available for sedimentation and relatively
small filtration rates also supports adsorption as well as chemical and biological processes.
Therefore, besides solid matter separation, roughing filters also partly improve the
bacteriological water quality and, to a minor extent, change some other water quality
parameters such as colour, turbidity or amount of dissolved organic matter. Particle removal
efficiency in roughing filters is dependent on filter design, size of particulates, size of filter
media and water quality parameters. Horizontal roughing filters perform better than vertical
roughing filter (Nkwonta, 2010).
The media used for horizontal roughing filter is gravel and plastic because it is locally
available and economical. The proposed work will focus on to find out the effective media
and filtration rate of horizontal flow roughing filter for automobile industry.

2. DYEING
Treatment of fiber or fabric with chemical pigments to impart color is called dyeing. The
color arises from chromophore and auxochrome groups in the dyes, which also cause
PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL ROUGHING 75


pollution (Pacini V., 2005). In the dyeing process, water is used to transfer dyes and in the
form of steam to heat the treatment bathsMore than 80,000 tonnes of reactive dyes are
produced and consumed each year. Once the dyeing operation is over, the various treatment
baths are drained, including the highly colored dye bath, which has high concentrations of
salt and organic substances. The wastewater must be treated before reuse.
Typical problems associated with wastewater encountered can be caused by high suspended
solids, turbidity, coliform bacteria, agricultural runoff. Previous studies have shown
roughing filtration to be an effective and reliable method for removing suspended solids,
turbidity and coliform bacteria (Nkwonta and Ochieng., 2004). For suspensions with
particulates that do not readily settle, roughing filtration provides superior treatment to basic
sedimentation methods (Wegelin, 1996) and represents an attractive alternative to more
costly conventional coagulation methods.
Roughing filters are primarily used to separate fine solids from the water that are only partly
or not retained at all by stilling basin or sedimentation tanks. Roughing filters mainly acts as
physical filters and reduce the solid mass. However, the large filter surface area available for
sedimentation and relatively small filtration rates also supports adsorption as well as
chemical and biological processes. Therefore besides solid matter separation, roughing filters
also partly improve the bacteriological water quality and, to a minor extent, change some
other water quality parameters such as colour or amount of dissolved organic matter
(Wegelin, 1996). Roughing filters are classified as deep-bed filters, whereby proper filter
design promotes particle removal throughout the depth of the filter bed, maximizing the
capacity of the filter to store removed solids. Particle removal efficiency in roughing filters
is dependent on filter design, particulate, and water quality parameters (Boller, 1993). Boller,
(1993) reported that reduction in turbidity from an average level of 23.05 NTUs to 22.82
NTUs using chemicals such as lime can cost $20 while roughing filters can reduce the same
quantity with $10. This shows that roughing filters are low cost treatment methods for water
and waste water.

3. ROUGHING FILTRATION PROCESS
Filtration is one of the oldest and simplest methods of removing contaminants in surface
water (Wegelin, 1996). Generally, filtration method includes slow sand filtration and
roughing filtration. The slow sand filters constructed in rural communities show that many of
76 I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V.B. PATIL
these filters have short filter runs and produce turbidity in the excess of the WHO guideline
values for drinking water. Reliable operation of sand filtration is possible when the raw
water has moderate turbidity and moderate suspended solids. For this reason, when surface
waters are highly turbid, ordinary sand filters could not be used effectively. Therefore, the
roughing filters are used as pretreatment systems prior to sand filtration (Oching G.M. et.al.,
2004). Furthermore, roughing filters could reduce organic matters from wastewater.
Therefore, roughing filters can be used to polish wastewater such as mine water before it is
discharged to the environment (Nkwonta, 2010). Although roughing filtration technology is
used as pretreatment to remove turbidity and followed by slow sand filtration, it may be used
without slow sand filtration if raw water originates from well protected catchment and if it is
free from bacteriological contamination (Wegelin, 1996). Roughing filters use natural
purification processes and no chemicals are necessary. Besides these, filters could be built
from local materials and manpower. These filters will work a long time without maintenance
(Wegelin, 1986). Therefore, roughing filters are appropriate and economical.

4. HORIZONTAL FLOW ROUGHING FILTERS
As shown in Figure 2.2., unlimited filter length and simple layout are the main advantages of
horizontal roughing filters (Wegelin, 1996). Horizontal roughing filters have a large silt
storage capacity. Solids settle on top of the filter medium surface and grow to small heaps of
loose aggregates with progressive filtration time. Part of the small heaps will drift towards
the filter bottom as soon as they become unstable. This drift regenerates filter efficiency at
the top, and slowly silts the filter from bottom to top (Wegelin, 1996).

Fig .No.2.2. Shows the diagram of horizontal roughing filter (Nkwonta.,2010)
PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL ROUGHING 77


Horizontal-flow roughing filters also react less sensitively to filtration rate changes, as
clusters of suspended solids will drift towards the filter bottom or be retained by the
subsequent filter layers. Horizontal-flow roughing filters are thus less susceptible than
vertical-flow filters to solid breakthroughs caused by flow rate changes. However, they may
react more sensitively to short circuits induced by a variable raw water temperature
(Wegelin, 1996).

5. ROUGHING FILTER DESIGN PARAMETERS
The basic roughing filter design parameters may classified to include the following
1. Filter media sizes
2. Filtration rate
3. Filter length.
5.1 Filter media size
Media types commonly used in roughing filtration are quartz sands and gravels but can be
replaced by any clean, insoluble, and mechanically resistant material (Ochieng and Otieno,
1988). Previous work by Wegelin showed that the effect of surface porosity and roughness
of filter media on particle removal efficiency in roughing filtration was insignificant
compared to the size and shape of macro-pores in the filter. The removal efficiencies in
calcite limestone, basaltic river rock, and limestone-amended basalt horizontal roughing
filters and found only marginally improved efficiency (7%) for calcite amended basalt filters
over unaltered filters. Improved removal efficiencies are generally correlated to smaller
media sizes (Wegelin, 1986).
The use of multiple grades of filter media in a roughing filter promotes the penetration of
particles throughout the filter bed and takes advantage of the large storage capacities offered
by larger media and high removal efficiencies offered by small media. The size of filter
media decreases successively in the direction of water flow, and ideally the uniformity of
filter media fractions is maximized to increase filter pore space (storage capacity) and aid in
filter cleaning (Boller, 1993). Common grades of media used in horizontal roughing filters
are provided by Wegelin (1996) and shown in Table 2.1.



78 I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V.B. PATIL
Table 2.1. Description of HRF for Gravel Media

Table 2.2. Description of HRF for Plastic Media

Table 2.3. Description of HRF for Mixed Media
For mixed media
Effective
size

Filtration Rate
Length of
Compartment
No. of
days
5 mm 0.5 m/h 1 m/h 1.5 m/h 0.2 m 90
10mm 0.5 m/h 1 m/h 1.5 m/h 0.2 m 90
Plastic
media
0.5 m/h 1 m/h 1.5 m/h 0.2 m 90
PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL ROUGHING 79


5.2 Mechanism of roughing filters


Fig. No. 2.7. Mechanism of roughing filters (Nkwonta., 2010)
As illustrated in Figure, water has to undergo a step to step treatment especially if it contains
differently sized impurities. The first and easiest step in sound water treatment schemes is
coarse solids separation. Finer particles are separated in a second pretreatment step and,
finally, water treatment will end with the removal or destruction of small solids and
microorganisms. These different pretreatment steps will contribute to reducing the
pathogenic microorganisms. The pathogens attached to the surface of suspended solids will
get stranded when the solids are separated. Some of the microorganisms floating in the water
might also get pushed to the surface of the treatment installations and adhere to biological
films. Solid matter and microorganisms, therefore, face a multitude of treatment barriers.
Since treatment efficiency of each barrier increases in the direction of flow, it becomes
increasingly difficult for the impurities to pass through each subsequent treatment barrier.
Removal of suspended solids in roughing filters requires laminar flow. Hydrodynamic forces
that move the water through the pore system create patterns of flow retardation and
acceleration that have pockets of stagnant water near the media surface allowing particles to
settle and it is shown in Figure 2.8. A sticky organic film on the surface of the media in the
pores retains the suspended solids by mass-particle attractions through the Vander Waals
forces and electrostatic forces between charged particles (Wegelin,1996).
80 I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V.B. PATIL

Fig. No.2.8. Solids removal in HRF (Wegelin, 1996)

5.3 Advantages of roughing filters over conventional methods.
Conventional system is quite demanding in chemical use, energy input and mechanical parts
as well as skilled manpower that are often unavailable, especially in rural areas of
developing countries. But roughing filters do not require chemical use, and mechanical parts.
Conventional methods demand high operating costs than roughing filters.
5.4 Disadvantages of roughing filters over conventional methods.
Colour removal is fair to poor and in some cases it requires a large area of land for effective
treatment. It can handle only relatively moderate strength wastes compared to conventional
methods. It also can handle only very moderate organic loads compared to conventional
treatment methods such as activated sludge process.
PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL ROUGHING 81


6. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP OF LAB-SCALE MODEL OF HORIZONTAL
ROUGHING FILTERS
The experimental laboratory scale model of the HRF was fabricated with an acrylic plastic
transparent sheet of 6 mm thickness. The set up is based on the HRF systems and is shown in
fig 2.5. The Components of the set up are overhead feed tank, three inlets with flow
regulator, HRF system and outlet arrangement for effluent. The HRF is fed by overhead feed
tank, which is placed on steel base. The tank is made up of plastic and has 100 L capacity. It
is kept at an elevated level so that sufficient head is created for flow by gravity. The inlet
arrangements to HRF system consist of a valve, which are used for regulating flow to filter
and is made up of plastic of size inch. The main component of the experimental set up is
HRF system which is made up transparent glass sheet. The experimental setup with auxiliary
units and working model is shown in figure (2.9). The dimensions of each HRF unit were 60
cm long, 20 cm width and 20 cm depth.
To enable a comparative study, three horizontal roughing filters that consist of three
compartments each were constructed. The design and sizing of the pilot plant was guided by
the wegelin design criteria (Wegelin, 1986). This study aimed at verifying these criteria
based on gravel as a filter medium and other available possible filter media, namely plastic.
Each filter was filled with a different filter medium and was separated with an iron mash in
the direction of flow. The filter bed was provided with under drain system, so that it would
allow for cleaning of the filters after a certain period. So a constant filtration rate of 0.5, 1
and 1.5 m/h was used. Percentage removal of the units for the textile wastewater quality
parameters was obtained as a measure of performance. Sampling was done three times a
week for a period of 90 days. The sampling points were the inlets and outlets of the
horizontal roughing filter units.

6.1 Commissioning of the laboratory scale model.
The filter ran for 90 days from the day of commissioning. The filter was used to conduct test
work on the efficiency and effectiveness of the easily available media such as plastic and
gravel in removing parameters such as TDS, TSS, COD, BOD and pH values of the textile
wastewater was also monitored


82 I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V.B. PATIL

Table 2.3: Methods used for analysis.
Sr. no Parameters Methods used for analysis
1 pH Electrometric method.
2 BOD Titration by iodometric method.
3 COD COD analyzer with reflux method
4 TDS TDS meter.
5 TSS Filtration method

The flow was regulated by trial and error to set the desire flowrate. All the parameters were
analyzed as per Standards methods for examination of water and wastewater prescribed by
American Public Health Association (APHA, 1995).The parameters and methods used for
determination are represented in Table 2.3.
6.2 Experimental Procedure.
The experimental set up was initially run for acclimization process to develop biomass on
media surface area. The HRF was operated for a initial flow rate of 0.5 m/h for around 30
days continuously.
After development of bacteria the HRF was operated for varying flow rates of 0.5, 1, 1.5 m/h
for 30 days each. Each flow rate was operated till the constant removal efficiency was
achieved. If removal efficiency goes on decreasing then cleaning of filter was done. The
analysis is done three times in a week.
The filter media and filtration rate is very much important and which affects removal
mechanism and efficiency. Comparison between gravel and plastic media in treatment of
wastewater for varying flow rates is to be done. Effective filter media and flow rate for
treatment of textile wastewater is to be determined.

Table 3.1 : Characterization of raw effluent from Tata Automobile Industry Pune.
Sr. No Parameter Raw Effluent
1 pH 6.7-7.5
2 COD mg/L. 1300 300
3 BOD mg/L. 292 20
PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL ROUGHING 83


4 Total Suspended Solid (TSS) mg/L 900 100
5 Total Dissolved Solid (TDS ) mg/L 575 25
6 Alkalinity mg/L as CaCo3 17 0.5

6.3 Application of HRF for Treatment of Textile Effluent.
The HRF was used to treat effluent from textile effluent treatment plant. The HRF was
operated at varying flow rates such as 0.5, 1 and 1.5 m/h. The performance evaluation of this
system is discussed for various parameters in following section.

CONCLUSION
The present study was aimed to evaluate the potential of HRF in improving the effluent
quality from Textile Industry. HRF was assessed for different media and varying flow rates.
The performance evaluation was carried out for parameter viz pH, BOD, COD, TSS and
TDS. The flow rate was varied from 0.5 m/h to 1.5 m/h. All studies were carried out in
continuous mode of operation, based on the study carried out and result obtained following
conclusions are drawn,
1. The characterization study carried out for raw effluent shows that Textile Industrial
effluent which is amenable for treatment by HRF.
2. The optimum flow rate is found to be 1 m/h and maximum removal efficiency is found
to be for plastic media filter.
3. The removal efficiency of TSS at a flow rate of 1m/h for plastic, gravel and mixed
media are 92 %, 82% and 89% respectively.
4. The removal efficiency of TDS at a flow rate of 1m/h for plastic, gravel and mixed
media are 75 %, 48 % and 35 % respectively.
5. The removal efficiency of COD at a flow rate of 1m/h for plastic, gravel and mixed
media are 58 %, 46 % and 41 % respectively.
6. It was shown that plastic media performs better than gravel media in general removal
efficiency with regards to the parameters that were put to test. This observation could
have resulted from the reason that plastic media has a slightly higher specific surface
area and porosity respectively to enhance the sedimentation and other filtration
processes compared to gravel.
84 I. G. DESHMUKH., R. A. JOSHI AND V.B. PATIL
7. Roughing filtration systems have proven to produce exceptional quality water despite
operating in highly variable effluent condition, encountering a variety of contaminants,
and in minimal maintenance making them a suitable alternative.
8. Achieved result in the study shows that roughing filtration may be considered as an
alternative pre-treatment process for textile wastewater.

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