Design of a Laundry Wastewater Treatment System Using an FRP Tank, Ultrafiltration Membrane, and Constructed Wetland with an Automatic Control System

Abstract

The increasing number of laundry businesses in residential areas has led to a significant rise in wastewater generation containing detergents, surfactants, oils, phosphates, and suspended solids, which may degrade the quality of receiving water bodies. This study aims to design a simple, effective, and environmentally friendly small scale laundry wastewater treatment system by integrating filtration and phytoremediation methods. The research methodology included a literature review, collection of operational data from a laundry facility (two washing machines with a capacity of 5 kg each, operating 7–8 cycles per day, and requiring approximately 600 L/day of water), hydraulic calculations of flow rate and flow velocity, and the design of a treatment system consisting of a fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) storage tank, a filtration unit, and a phytoremediation basin. The design results indicate a flow rate of 0.044 L/s and a flow velocity of 0.104 m/s, which are considered safe for the piping system and filtration process. Conceptually, the integration of filtration and phytoremediation is expected to reduce total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and residual pollutant concentrations, thereby minimizing the potential for environmental pollution around laundry business operations. The proposed design is expected to serve as a reference for the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly laundry wastewater treatment technologies.