Purification Experiments on the Pasig River, Philippines Using a Circulation-Type Purification System

Abstract

Polluted sludge from the Pasig River generally exerts a very large environmental load to the surrounding area near the vicinity of Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay in the Philippines. Historically, the river was used to be a good route for transportation and an important source of water for the old Spanish Manila. However, the river is now very polluted due to human negligence and industrial development, and biologists consider it unable to sustain aquatic life. Many researchers have conducted studies on the Pasig River, unfortunately, no considerable progress from the point of view of purification process have succeeded. Hence, in this study, the use of fine-bubble technology for the purification of the polluted sludge from the said river is being explored. The critical point in using this technique is on the activation of the bacteria existing in the area using fine bubbles. The sludge is decomposed and purified by activating the aerobic bacteria after creating an aerobic state. In this study, the main objective is to test the performance of the purification system on the sludge and water taken from the Pasig River by comparing the results with the case study conducted in Funabashi Port, Japan. Based on the results of the study, it was established that the use of a circulation-type purification system is very good for it significantly decreased the total nitrogen in the samples from the Pasig River and Funabashi Port. Generally, the said system is considered effective in treating and purifying ocean or river sludge.