Effective use of rice husk ash to treat highly polluted water: case study in the Dhalassori River, Bangladesh

Abstract

In Dhaka city the source of surface waters as like as Dhalassori, Sitalakha, Buriganga rivers are frequently deteriorating due to the discharging of heavily toxic wastes into the water by the various industries and factories. The major source of drinking water is the underground which is rapidly decreasing due to the frequent use. If quality of surface water like Dhalassori river is such that it is too difficult to treat the water for the drinking purpose then a catastrophe may happen one time because the people who are wasting this valuable source of water may not know that how much days they can survive without potable water. In this research it is successfully shown by through laboratory and statistical analysis that a bio adsorbent called Rice Husk Ash obtained from the burning of Rice husk has the COD removal efficiency 99.33 .3% ~ 99.99% and color removal efficiency of 99.96% with respect to the raw water of Dhalassori river if the factors influencing adsorption that is investigated for the Rice Husk Ash, can be properly maintained.