We are pleased to announce the upcoming Master of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering (MSc-SDE) Thesis Defense of Abhishek Pokharel.  

Title:  Application of biochar for efficient municipal wastewater treatment

Date: Friday, August 7, 1:00 to 4:00 PM

Abstract: A more circular and therefore more sustainable economy requires us to value our waste. Something like wastewater can be an unconventional source of nutrients, energy, and water. Thus, far from being something to discard or ignore, wastewater can be a resource option. Similarly, biochar is the solid byproduct of pyrolysis and its cascading use can offset the cost of the process. A wide variety of research on biochar has highlighted its ability to absorb/adsorb nutrients, metals, and complex compounds; filter suspended solids; enhance microorganisms’ growth; retain water and nutrients as well as increase carbon content of soil. The thesis analyzes the effect of biochar in two biological treatment processes, activated sludge for municipal wastewater and anaerobic digestion for sludge at Charlottetown Pollution Control Plant located in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. The analysis is carried out using Response Surface Methodology for varied size and dose of two types of carbon, namely biochar from wood pellets and non-treated activated carbon sourced from Sigma Aldrich Inc. A higher COD removal efficiency of above 80%, 82% and 88% in the retention time of 1, 4 and 24 hours respectively is achieved in the region of lower size and higher dose for AC.  Whereas, for similar conditions and variation, the reactor fed with biochar achieved COD removal efficiency of 60, 78 and 69 for HRT 1, 4 and 24 hours, respectively. The study showed that the biochar improves the settleability of the sludge. A sludge volume index as low as 37.33 was obtained with biochar. It was also found that the use of carbon in anaerobic digestion has an effect on the biogas yield and the quality of the biosolids. This study has shown that types of biochar have significant impact on the biological systems in the wastewater treatment process and could be a viable way for valorization of wastewater. In addition, sustainable biochar systems are an attractive approach for carbon sequestration and total waste management cycle.

Abhishek is supervised by Dr. Aitazaz Farooque in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering.

The presentation and examination will be presented via a web conference. Please RSVP with the Graduate Studies Coordinator and Chair of the Defense, Dr. Amy Hsiao, at ahsiao@upei.ca for the information to connect if you wish to attend, by Friday, August 7, at 10:00 am.