Performance Assessment of the Onsite Wastewater Treatment System at High-rise Condominium in Bangkok: A Case Study
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Abstract
Condominiums in Bangkok increase annually to accommodate the growing population. The wastewater generated from residents’ activities could potentially impact natural water quality. This study aims to assess the efficiency of onsite wastewater treatment from the high-rise condominium in Bangkok and investigate the presence of microplastic contamination in discharged wastewater. The revealed removal efficiencies of SS, VSS, BOD, COD, NH4-N, and TN at 82.75%, 81.55%, 94.80%, 85.60%, 75.0%, and 21.4%, respectively. The E. coli could be treated at 1.44log10. The effluent's pH, SS, and BOD values met the wastewater effluent standards according to the notification of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on effluent standards from buildings of certain types and size. The presence of microplastics in wastewater originating from the high-rise condominium building is detected in both influent and effluent, at quantities of 4 pieces/L and 2 pieces/L, respectively. Fiber-shaped microplastics were found the most, followed by fragments, films, and granules, in that order. The random sampling of microplastics for analysis to identify the polymer type revealed the presence of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polypropylene (PP), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), and detected Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
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