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Robert Gordon University

Sustainable development of an integrated solid waste and wastewater treatment.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This PhD thesis investigated solid and liquid waste treatment systems for Sureclean, a waste Management company based in the North of Scotland. Sureclean receives a diverse range of waste streams and the increasing need for sustainable development as well as stringent environmental legislation motivated this research to develop an integrated waste treatment system. Waste characterisation was conducted using a range of analytical instrumentation to identify the TPH, COD, heavy metals content, TOC, and particle size of Sureclean waste streams. From there, four treatment systems were investigated utilising Sureclean waste streams: mechanical separation, chemical treatment, electro-coagulation and the advanced oxidation process. Laboratory and field trials were conducted using these different treatment techniques and the analysis was performed to verify the treatment results. The result of these trials led to the development of four modular waste treatment units that form the outcome of this research: the Sureclean Water Treatment System (SWTS), a filtration-based mechanical separation system that was shown to reduce the TSS, BOD and TOC content of oily wastewater; the Sureclean Sludge Separation System (SSSTS), a chemical-enhanced filtration-based system that was demonstrated to reduce 52.6% of sewage sludge volume; the Sureclean Electro-Coagulation Water Treatment System (SEWTS), a system that agglomerates colloid particles and demulsifies oil that removed 99.9% of TPH from Sureclean interceptor effluent; and the Sureclean Advanced Water Treatment System (SAWTS), an advanced oxidation process that was demonstrated to reduce the TPH of contaminated groundwater collected from an ex-gas work. The treated effluent could be discharged to Sureclean interceptor. The four treatment units developed in this research expanded Sureclean waste treatment capabilities, and developed an integrated system to treat different waste streams and to improve the treatment efficiency, thus increasing the revenue and future waste stream options for Sureclean.

Degree

thesis:*
Name dc:type.qualificationname
PhD
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
Robert Gordon University
Year dc:date.issued
2012

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Wong, Ling Say
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Pat Pollard, Simon Officer and Cathy McCullagh

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

Language dc:language
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:322197
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:rgu-repository.worktribe.com:322197

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Robert Gordon University
Base URL
rgu-repository.worktribe.com/oaiprovider
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Wong, Ling Say. Sustainable development of an integrated solid waste and wastewater treatment.. Doctoral thesis, Robert Gordon University, 2012. https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/322197/1/WONG%202012%20Sustainable%20development%20of%20an%20integrated