Determining the Characteristics of Diluted Wastewater in the Lagoon

Abstract

“Drink a minimum of two litres or eight glasses of 8 liquid ounces daily” is a statement with which we are all familiar; it is the recommendation by the UK Food Standard Agency (FSA), corroborated by the US-EPA (UKFSA 2002, & USEPA, 1945). However in Ghana, the Chemu Lagoon remains a main source of drinking water, while there is direct waste discharge from Tema Oil Refinery, with neither the management nor the government at large finding solutions to health risks it pose. It is in this interest that this study is aimed at analysing the extent of impurities and designing a filtration system which can be used for filtering diluted water of its type. Samples of the wastewater discharge as well as diluted lagoon water were analysed to determine its chlorine level, turbidity, etc. Having confirmed the presence of the impurities in the water, a filtration system was designed to serve as a means of purifying the water. A CFD/FloXpress analysis was carried out to determine the suitability of the filtration system while analysis of filtered water also confirmed that, production of the filters could help in enhancing the purification of the diluted Chemu lagoon and similar water system.

Keywords: Chemu, Pollution, Turbidimeter