Sewage treatment in campus for recycling purpose: A review

Abstract

Sewage generated in campus is a type ofwastewater that requires attention since the volume is raising yearly with the increment of students intakes. Campus sewage has BOD and COD not higher than ~600 mg/L and ~700 mg/L, respectively. The presence of heavy metals such as barium (Ba), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), Strontium (Sr), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) have been identified in campus sewage. Other than that, the occurrence of organic contaminants such as phenols is also detected in campus sewage which has the tendency to be transformed into micropollutants. Various techniques have been tested and used to treat campus sewage which can be grouped into physical, chemical, biological, and combination treatment systems. Based on the review, the highest removal efficiency in treating campus sewage is bioaugmentation using the mixed species of microalgae. This method is also costeffective and requires less maintenance albeit the fact that it is affected by the light intensity and sensitive towards toxic contaminants present in the sewage. Treated water from campus sewage is feasible to be reused in landscape maintenance, noncrop irrigation, toilet flushing system, and aquaculture which can compensate for the cost of sewage treatment. The recycled water has to meet guidelines prior to reuse to protect public health. Besides that, regulations, policies, and standard procedure in implementing a proper sewage management should be implemented in universities for a better and sustainable campus environment.