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Rashed Al-Sa`ed

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Dr. Rashed Al-Sa´ed (Prof. Dr.-Eng.) is the former Director of the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies (IEWS) of Birzeit University (BZU). He is a co-founder of the IEWS, was the Director and head of two M.Sc. Programs (2016-2021). Prior joining Academia, Dr. Al-Sa`ed has over 14 years of experience as a consultant and project manager for sanitation and environmental projects in Germany, Jordan and Palestine. Currently he is involved in environmental education, applied research and training. His present research fields concentrate on biological nutrient removal using natural and membrane-based technologies including MBR, MBBR, and design of sustainable sanitation facilities, reclaimed water and biosolids reuse, school sanitation and environmental education, EIA, IWRM, ISWM, cleaner production, pollution control and environmental management. During the last 20 years he published 5 book chapters and over 100 papers in refereed journals and conferences. He attracted more than 8 million US$ in research grants, awards and consultancies, active editorial membership in several journals and former Newsletter editor of the PoWER program inclduing18 education and research partners, dedicated for water education. Dr. Al-Sa`ed co-supervised 6 PhD students and more than 100 M.Sc. students in the field of water science, sanitary and environmental science and engineering. He is certified engineer, accredit environmental arbitrator and former co-founder and share owner in Global Environmental Services (GES) and acted as GIZ advisor for the Palestinian Water Authority, and Ministry of Local Government.

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Mahfudz Al Huda

Dr. Yohannes Yihdego Woldeyohannes

La Trobe University

CEPS/INSTEAD

Hilmi S. Salem (Prof. Dr.)

An-Najah National University

ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development

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Papers by Rashed Al-Sa`ed

Enhanced fodder production using treated wastewater from a pilot constructed wetland system

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2022

Enhancing the governance of industrial wastewater using cleaner production and water footprint principles: a case study of two dairy companies in Palestine

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2022

Sustainable wastewater management in the agrifood industries relies on pollution control at the s... more Sustainable wastewater management in the agrifood industries relies on pollution control at the source by maintaining Cleaner Production (CP) approaches, and minimizing the Water Footprint (WFP). The challenges for applying CP and WFP call for having effective governance, which will help solidify the networking and enhance communications between all parties. The determined WFP for the Ultra-Heat Temperature (UHT) milk for case study A is 0.239 m 3. Case study (A): produces about 20.5 m 3 /d of UHT milk, which is 3% of the daily dairy needed in Palestine. It consumes about 8.915 m 3 /d of water, while the consumption of UHT milk in Palestine reaches 550 m 3 UHT milk/d, considering case study (A) produces UHT only. This means consuming about 297.158 m 3 /d (about 108,468 m 3 /y), assuming that case study (A) applied 5-6 CP approaches and reduced water consumption by 230,000 m 3 /y. The SWOT analysis used to analyze CP and WFP applications in the dairy industries in Palestine revealed that the best practice to achieve that is by-law enforcement. The willingness of the industrial sector to apply the CP and WFP forms a core governance element to enhance industrial wastewater management in Palestine.

Efficacy of Natural Wetlands along Wadi Zomer as a Sustainable Phytoremediation Alternative for Industrial Effluents from Nablus West, Palestine

This paper investigated the effectiveness of natural wetlands (Phragmites australis) along Wadi Z... more This paper investigated the effectiveness of natural wetlands (Phragmites australis) along Wadi Zomer in reducing the organic and inorganic pollution loads from diverse industrial discharges including occasional emergency discharges from Nablus West Sewage Treatment Plant (NWSTP), Palestine. We monitored physical and chemical parameters at four selective sampling stations (S1-S4) along Wadi Zomer with a length of 5 km downstream of NWSTP to assess the purification capacity of Wadi Zomer treatment wetlands (water, sediment, and vegetation) with Phragmites australis in pollution loads reduction. The results showed that S2 (0+0.5 km) and S3 (0+3.0 km) reflected an increase in pollution loads due to illicit industrial discharge and sewer overflow discharge from NWSTP during emergency conditions. BOD values varied significantly along the sampling sites from 6.64 mg/l (S1) to 437.10 mg/l (S3). The BOD at S1 and S2 in water samples were below the Palestinian Water Standard (PWS) compared t...

A feasible scheme for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment using an anaerobic digestion batch reactor followed by an aerobic treatment stage

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT

The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologi... more The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologies to protect the environment and public wastewater treatment facilities. The technology of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket provides an adequate procedural condition for the reduction of carbonaceous matter from the high organic wastewater resulted from the slaughterhouses. The scope of this research included a rapid review on current treatment technologies for the slaughterhouse wastewaters and an investigation of the treatment efficiency of an aerobic stage after a pre-anaerobic treatment in a batch system. A batch reactor system of 1 m 3 volume with a mixer was developed. The anaerobic stage of the batch reactor was initiated using 400 L of fresh slaughterhouse wastewater mixed with 40 L of primary sludge. Three samples from the anaerobic batch reactor were collected at 10 d interval and then five samples were collected from the reactor after being under aerobic condition at 4 d interval. The removal efficiency of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and PO 4 was 25%, 62%, 42%, and 9% in 30 d, respectively. After the start of aeration system, the removal efficiency was improved up to 94%, 69%, and 93%, respectively, except for PO 4 that showed high variations within the sampling periods.

A feasible scheme for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment using an anaerobic digestion batch reactor followed by an aerobic treatment stage

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT

The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologi... more The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologies to protect the environment and public wastewater treatment facilities. The technology of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket provides an adequate procedural condition for the reduction of carbonaceous matter from the high organic wastewater resulted from the slaughterhouses. The scope of this research included a rapid review on current treatment technologies for the slaughterhouse wastewaters and an investigation of the treatment efficiency of an aerobic stage after a pre-anaerobic treatment in a batch system. A batch reactor system of 1 m 3 volume with a mixer was developed. The anaerobic stage of the batch reactor was initiated using 400 L of fresh slaughterhouse wastewater mixed with 40 L of primary sludge. Three samples from the anaerobic batch reactor were collected at 10 d interval and then five samples were collected from the reactor after being under aerobic condition at 4 d interval. The removal efficiency of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and PO 4 was 25%, 62%, 42%, and 9% in 30 d, respectively. After the start of aeration system, the removal efficiency was improved up to 94%, 69%, and 93%, respectively, except for PO 4 that showed high variations within the sampling periods.

Article Sustainability of Ancient Water Supply Facilities in Jerusalem

This paper presents an overview on the sustainability of ancient water supply systems in Jerusale... more This paper presents an overview on the sustainability of ancient water supply systems in Jerusalem from the Chalcolithic period (4500-3200 B.C.) until the present time. Archaeological evidences and landscape settings were applied utilizing all available and accessible literature relevant to ancient water resources management in Jerusalem. Irrigated agriculture was practiced for many centuries in this region, hence sustainable water supply facilities were erected, including well developed aqueducts, water harvesting pools and irrigation channels for water storage and landscaping purposes. To cope with seismic events, soil subsidence and water leakage, ancient water engineers and architects applied innovative construction methods for the erection of water pools, channels and aqueduct systems. Ancient water supply systems in Jerusalem are valuable treasures of past civilizations and crucial urban environmental facilities and their protection is consistent with sustainable development principles. Effective environmental assessment as a decision-making process for sustainable development can be applied to preserve threatened ancient water facilities from major development proposals and urban infrastructure projects in Jerusalem.

Efficacy Advanced Chemical Oxidation Process (AOP) for Sustainable Pretreatment of Mixed Dairy and Poultry Wastewaters in Nablus, Palestine

This study investigated the efficacy of advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the reduction of pol... more This study investigated the efficacy of advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the reduction of pollution loads in mixed agro-food industrial wastewaters (dairy and slaughterhouse) in Nablus city, Palestine. Bench-scale Jar tests using an advanced oxidation process (AOP) were performed as a pretreatment stage. Initial results on direct applications of Fenton’s process on mixed agro-food wastewater (COD: 15400-18200 mg/l) were unsatisfactory. Hence, the performance of the Fenton process was applied on three mixed wastewater samples with different pre-treatment trials: (A) coagulant (FeCl3.6H2O) addition, (B) settling (2h), and use of flocculent (lime Ca(OH)2) in sample (C). Preceded with lime, Fenton`s process (Sample C) was most effective in the removal of organic carbon and nitrogen (89% COD; 80% TKN). The removal efficiency in inorganic loads (91% TSS; 62% TS) were achieved under H2O2/COD (w/w ratio 2:1), H2O2/Fe+2 (w/w ratio 10:1) and acidic conditions (pH = 3). The adoption of AOP...

Application potential of small-scale solar desalination for brackish water in the Jordan Valley, Palestine

This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) uni... more This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) units for the desalination of brackish water in the Jordan Valley, the food basket for the West Bank, Palestine. Pilotscale RO units are appropriate because of the low energy requirement, market availability, size and area and convenience of installation in the Jordan Valley's harsh conditions. The study concerned the Marj Naajeh desalination unit. The economic feasibility was compared to other alternative energy sources (diesel generators and network electricity). The environmental costs were considered as well as the economic costs. The results obtained suggest upgrading 162 agricultural wells of different water capacities and quality. Further studies on design capacity and efficiency of future desalination facilities would be beneficial.

Application potential of small-scale solar desalination for brackish water in the Jordan Valley, Palestine

International Journal of Environmental Studies

This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) uni... more This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) units for the desalination of brackish water in the Jordan Valley, the food basket for the West Bank, Palestine. Pilot-scale RO units are appropriate because of the low energy requirement, market availability, size and area and convenience of installation in the Jordan Valley&#39;s harsh conditions. The study concerned the Marj Naajeh desalination unit. The economic feasibility was compared to other alternative energy sources (diesel generators and network electricity). The environmental costs were considered as well as the economic costs. The results obtained suggest upgrading 162 agricultural wells of different water capacities and quality. Further studies on design capacity and efficiency of future desalination facilities would be beneficial.

Perceptions of Farmers and Public Towards Irrigation with Reclaimed Wastewater in Jordan and Tunisia

Despite the high demand and sever shortage of water in Jordan and Tunisia, substantial amounts of... more Despite the high demand and sever shortage of water in Jordan and Tunisia, substantial amounts of treated wastewater are discharged into seas and valleys. This paper studies the perceptions of Jordanian and Tunisian farmers’ and public towards reuse of reclaimed wastewater in irrigated agriculture. A field survey was conducted in both countries employing two sets of questionnaires and targeting 96 farmers and 326 households. The results reveal reasonably high levels of farmers’ acceptance to use reclaimed wastewater and public acceptance to consume crops irrigated with this water. The study analyzes the factors that influence decisions of farmers and public to accept or reject irrigation with the reclaimed wastewater and related crops, respectively. The results also identify the major factors that might be influential in changing the perceptions and attitudes farmers’ and public.

Pilot - scale anaerobic digester for enhanced biogas production from poultry manure using a solar water heating system

A pilot-scale (0.5 m3) anaerobic digester was constructed in a small Palestinian poultry farm. Th... more A pilot-scale (0.5 m3) anaerobic digester was constructed in a small Palestinian poultry farm. The farm, located in Beit Ur Al Foqa village of Ramallah district, with a total area of 140 m2 and accommodating about 1800 birds every 50 days produces annually about 6.57 tonnes (18 kg/day). The digester was filled with poultry manure and operated to obtain design parameters for a farm-scale biogas plant. The digester contained 20% of poultry manure co-digested with seed materials (70% cow manure and 10% anaerobic sludge) and mixed with the water in (1:1 ratio) to create dry digestion conditions (20% TS). Operated for one year, the feeding sequence of the anaerobic digester was once a day with a loading capacity of the daily produced manure in the farm. A low-cost solar water heating system was installed to enhance the biogas production in the digester under mesophilic process conditions. Poultry manure proved a suitable substrate for the installed biogas digester with total solids: 20%,...

Advancing Environmental Education and Training for Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources in Palestine

Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 2009

This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental... more This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies of Birzeit University during the past 10 years. It highlights the gained experience in advancing environmental science and engineering education and training programs as components of sustainable water and environmental management schemes. Furthermore, the major constraints faced, and future plans to sustain and enhance the

Advancing Environmental Education and Training for Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources in Palestine

Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 2009

This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental... more This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies of Birzeit University during the past 10 years. It highlights the gained experience in advancing environmental science and engineering education and training programs as components of sustainable water and environmental management schemes. Furthermore, the major constraints faced, and future plans to sustain and enhance the

Evaluation of Advanced Chemical Oxidation Process for the Pretreatment of Mixed Agro-Food Industrial Wastewater in Nablus, Palestine

This study investigated the reduction of organic loads from mixed agro-food industrial wastewater... more This study investigated the reduction of organic loads from mixed agro-food industrial wastewaters (dairy and slaughterhouse) of Nablus city using advanced oxidation process (AOP), a high- rate chemical oxidation reaction. Bench-scale Jar tests using an advanced oxidation process (AOP) were performed as a pretreatment stage. Direct applications of classical Fenton’s process on mixed raw agro-food wastewater samples (COD: 15400-18200 mg/l) revealed unsatisfactory results. The performance of the Fenton process was evaluated using three mixed samples with different pre-treatment trials: (A) coagulant (FeCl3.6H2O) addition, (B) settling (2h) allowed, and use of flocculent (lime Ca(OH)2) in sample (C). Compared with other partial treatments, sample (C), Fenton`s process lime preceded, was the most effective in the removal of organic (89% COD; 80% TKN) and inorganic loads (91% TSS; 62% TS) under H2O2/COD (w/w ratio 2:1), H2O2/Fe+2 (w/w ratio 10:1) and acidic conditions (pH =3). Obtained r...

Willingness of farmers to pay for reclaimed wastewater in Jordan and Tunisia

Water Science and Technology: Water Supply

Despite water scarcity and high agricultural water consumption in the Middle East and North Afric... more Despite water scarcity and high agricultural water consumption in the Middle East and North Africa region, substantial amounts of treated wastewater are discharged into seas without proper utilization. This can be attributed to either farmers' unwillingness to use or to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Therefore, a field survey was conducted in Jordan and Tunisia, which are considered as representative to the MENA region, using a prepared and pilot tested questionnaire. This study applies the contingent valuation method to elicit the willingness of farmers to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Logistic regression analysis is applied in an attempt to build a model that correlates qualitative responses of farmers to monetary stimuli. The water price seriously affects farming profitability and farmers' willingness to pay for reclaimed wastewater.

Comparison between algae-based and duckweed-based wastewater treatment: differences in environmental conditions and nitrogen transformations

Water Science and Technology

In laboratory-scale batch experiments, duckweed (Limna gibba)-based and algae-based wastewater co... more In laboratory-scale batch experiments, duckweed (Limna gibba)-based and algae-based wastewater containers have been monitored over 15 days in two experiments with different initial total nitrogen concentrations of 50 (experiment 1) and 100 mg-N/L (experiment 2). Clear differences in environmental conditions were observed. High dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were observed in the algae-based ,compared to duckweed-based, containers. In the algae-based containers the DO range was between 2.1 to 6.6 mg/L and 1.2 to 4.3 mg/L in experiment 1 and 2, respectively, whereas in the duckweed-based containers DO ranged between 1.1 to 3 mg/l and 0.5 to 2.1 mg/L. Higher pH values were measured in algae-based due to algal photosynthetic activity compared to duckweed-based containers where the duckweed mat prevented sunlight penetration and hence algal development. In algae-based containers, the pH range was 7.9 to 8.6 and 8.1 to 8.4 in experiments 1 and 2, respectively, and 7.3 to 7.5 and 7 to...

Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate Areas Acceptance to Use Treated Waste Water

Dirasat Engineering Sciences, May 31, 2010

... Keywords. People's Acceptance, Treated Waste Water, Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, P... more ... Keywords. People's Acceptance, Treated Waste Water, Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, Palestine. تقبل سكان ريف محافظة رام الله والبيرة لاستخدام المياه العادمة المعالجة. Zohair Deek, Maher Abu Madi, Rashed Al Sa'ed. Abstract (ar). ...

Reducing the Environmental and Economic Impact of the Unhairing-Liming Process in the Leather Tanning Industry

The environmental impact of the tanning industry is generally significant with outputs of wastes,... more The environmental impact of the tanning industry is generally significant with outputs of wastes, i.e. high concentrations of organics, salts and heavy metals (chromium compounds), both in solid and liquid form, as a result. In order to bring the tanning industry more in line with present environmental thinking, various methods have been devised to reduce impacts. The underlying study proposes a modification of the method for unhairing-liming of hides where the unhairing-liming liquids are reused several times after being recharged by reduced quantities of chemicals. The study, therefore, aims at reducing both the economic and environmental costs of the unhairing-liming process. Experiments were carried out at lab scale with a simulation apparatus designed for the purpose. Life cycle assessment was used to evaluate the net environmental benefits of the modified method. The present value approach was used to evaluate the economic feasibility of the modified method. The quality of the produced leather was assessed by experts from the tanning sector (tanners). On the environmental level, the modified method reduced the environmental impact of the process by 24%, COD was reduced by 50% as well as sulfide which was reduced by 73% when the process water was recycled four times. The modified method requires some investment in new equipment and is a little more labor intensive as compared with the conventional method but does permit for savings in water up to 58% and chemicals up to 28% as well as wastewater treatment cost which was reduced by 58%. The modified method allowed for four times reuse of the unhairing-liming liquor without visibly affecting the quality of the final product of leather. It was concluded that both the economic and the environmental costs of the unhairing-liming process were reduced relative to the same of the conventional method.

Investigations on Nitrification Process of Ammonium-Rich Wastewater in Single Stage Activated Sludge Systems. Dr.-Eng. Thesis. Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, 1987

The nitrification process of ammonium-rich (100 -1200 mg N/l) synthetic and industrial wastewater... more The nitrification process of ammonium-rich (100 -1200 mg N/l) synthetic and industrial wastewater with low BODS (100 mg/l) were investigated over a period of 20 months. Five identical bench scales, completely mixed and single-stage activated sludge units were used. Fundamental process and design parameters of nitrification were studied in different phases under steady-state conditions (pH = 7.6, DO 3 mg 02/1, and temperature = 25 oC ± 5 oC). The major objectives of this research include the effects of C/N ratio, sludge age, BOD5 and NH4-N sludge loading, hydraulic loading, process pH and temperature, and finally long periods of anoxic conditions on nitrification process. All experimental data were obtained from averages of steady-state periods (six weeks in duration) for each process variable condition change. During phase one, four reactors (A, B, C and D), treating synthetic wastewater, were operated at the same NH4 volumetric loading (0.26 kg N/m3*d) but at different BOD loading ...

Situation analysis and perspectives of transboundary wastewater management along Israel/Palestine borders

Environmental problems between countries can have deep historical roots and consequences for seve... more Environmental problems between countries can have deep historical roots and consequences for several reasons. Most environmental transboundary problems are yet to be resolved. Solutions that were developed responded to the forces of political, media, and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and did not respond to the needs or reality on the ground. This paper focuses on transboundary wastewater management between Israel and Palestine. The measures undertaken by Israel, the stronger party, and the associated effects on solving the transboundary pollution issues are presented. Of equal importance, procedures followed by the weaker party, Palestine, to resolve the environmental problems are discussed. The responsibility of the donor countries and local NGOs in the conflict is also addressed. Results obtained revealed that the current bi-national agreement does not achieve environmental justice and protection. The stronger party applies stringent standards and guidelines, which ...

Enhanced fodder production using treated wastewater from a pilot constructed wetland system

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2022

Enhancing the governance of industrial wastewater using cleaner production and water footprint principles: a case study of two dairy companies in Palestine

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2022

Sustainable wastewater management in the agrifood industries relies on pollution control at the s... more Sustainable wastewater management in the agrifood industries relies on pollution control at the source by maintaining Cleaner Production (CP) approaches, and minimizing the Water Footprint (WFP). The challenges for applying CP and WFP call for having effective governance, which will help solidify the networking and enhance communications between all parties. The determined WFP for the Ultra-Heat Temperature (UHT) milk for case study A is 0.239 m 3. Case study (A): produces about 20.5 m 3 /d of UHT milk, which is 3% of the daily dairy needed in Palestine. It consumes about 8.915 m 3 /d of water, while the consumption of UHT milk in Palestine reaches 550 m 3 UHT milk/d, considering case study (A) produces UHT only. This means consuming about 297.158 m 3 /d (about 108,468 m 3 /y), assuming that case study (A) applied 5-6 CP approaches and reduced water consumption by 230,000 m 3 /y. The SWOT analysis used to analyze CP and WFP applications in the dairy industries in Palestine revealed that the best practice to achieve that is by-law enforcement. The willingness of the industrial sector to apply the CP and WFP forms a core governance element to enhance industrial wastewater management in Palestine.

Efficacy of Natural Wetlands along Wadi Zomer as a Sustainable Phytoremediation Alternative for Industrial Effluents from Nablus West, Palestine

This paper investigated the effectiveness of natural wetlands (Phragmites australis) along Wadi Z... more This paper investigated the effectiveness of natural wetlands (Phragmites australis) along Wadi Zomer in reducing the organic and inorganic pollution loads from diverse industrial discharges including occasional emergency discharges from Nablus West Sewage Treatment Plant (NWSTP), Palestine. We monitored physical and chemical parameters at four selective sampling stations (S1-S4) along Wadi Zomer with a length of 5 km downstream of NWSTP to assess the purification capacity of Wadi Zomer treatment wetlands (water, sediment, and vegetation) with Phragmites australis in pollution loads reduction. The results showed that S2 (0+0.5 km) and S3 (0+3.0 km) reflected an increase in pollution loads due to illicit industrial discharge and sewer overflow discharge from NWSTP during emergency conditions. BOD values varied significantly along the sampling sites from 6.64 mg/l (S1) to 437.10 mg/l (S3). The BOD at S1 and S2 in water samples were below the Palestinian Water Standard (PWS) compared t...

A feasible scheme for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment using an anaerobic digestion batch reactor followed by an aerobic treatment stage

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT

The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologi... more The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologies to protect the environment and public wastewater treatment facilities. The technology of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket provides an adequate procedural condition for the reduction of carbonaceous matter from the high organic wastewater resulted from the slaughterhouses. The scope of this research included a rapid review on current treatment technologies for the slaughterhouse wastewaters and an investigation of the treatment efficiency of an aerobic stage after a pre-anaerobic treatment in a batch system. A batch reactor system of 1 m 3 volume with a mixer was developed. The anaerobic stage of the batch reactor was initiated using 400 L of fresh slaughterhouse wastewater mixed with 40 L of primary sludge. Three samples from the anaerobic batch reactor were collected at 10 d interval and then five samples were collected from the reactor after being under aerobic condition at 4 d interval. The removal efficiency of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and PO 4 was 25%, 62%, 42%, and 9% in 30 d, respectively. After the start of aeration system, the removal efficiency was improved up to 94%, 69%, and 93%, respectively, except for PO 4 that showed high variations within the sampling periods.

A feasible scheme for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment using an anaerobic digestion batch reactor followed by an aerobic treatment stage

DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT

The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologi... more The sustainable management of a slaughterhouse wastewater calls for feasible treatment technologies to protect the environment and public wastewater treatment facilities. The technology of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket provides an adequate procedural condition for the reduction of carbonaceous matter from the high organic wastewater resulted from the slaughterhouses. The scope of this research included a rapid review on current treatment technologies for the slaughterhouse wastewaters and an investigation of the treatment efficiency of an aerobic stage after a pre-anaerobic treatment in a batch system. A batch reactor system of 1 m 3 volume with a mixer was developed. The anaerobic stage of the batch reactor was initiated using 400 L of fresh slaughterhouse wastewater mixed with 40 L of primary sludge. Three samples from the anaerobic batch reactor were collected at 10 d interval and then five samples were collected from the reactor after being under aerobic condition at 4 d interval. The removal efficiency of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and PO 4 was 25%, 62%, 42%, and 9% in 30 d, respectively. After the start of aeration system, the removal efficiency was improved up to 94%, 69%, and 93%, respectively, except for PO 4 that showed high variations within the sampling periods.

Article Sustainability of Ancient Water Supply Facilities in Jerusalem

This paper presents an overview on the sustainability of ancient water supply systems in Jerusale... more This paper presents an overview on the sustainability of ancient water supply systems in Jerusalem from the Chalcolithic period (4500-3200 B.C.) until the present time. Archaeological evidences and landscape settings were applied utilizing all available and accessible literature relevant to ancient water resources management in Jerusalem. Irrigated agriculture was practiced for many centuries in this region, hence sustainable water supply facilities were erected, including well developed aqueducts, water harvesting pools and irrigation channels for water storage and landscaping purposes. To cope with seismic events, soil subsidence and water leakage, ancient water engineers and architects applied innovative construction methods for the erection of water pools, channels and aqueduct systems. Ancient water supply systems in Jerusalem are valuable treasures of past civilizations and crucial urban environmental facilities and their protection is consistent with sustainable development principles. Effective environmental assessment as a decision-making process for sustainable development can be applied to preserve threatened ancient water facilities from major development proposals and urban infrastructure projects in Jerusalem.

Efficacy Advanced Chemical Oxidation Process (AOP) for Sustainable Pretreatment of Mixed Dairy and Poultry Wastewaters in Nablus, Palestine

This study investigated the efficacy of advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the reduction of pol... more This study investigated the efficacy of advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the reduction of pollution loads in mixed agro-food industrial wastewaters (dairy and slaughterhouse) in Nablus city, Palestine. Bench-scale Jar tests using an advanced oxidation process (AOP) were performed as a pretreatment stage. Initial results on direct applications of Fenton’s process on mixed agro-food wastewater (COD: 15400-18200 mg/l) were unsatisfactory. Hence, the performance of the Fenton process was applied on three mixed wastewater samples with different pre-treatment trials: (A) coagulant (FeCl3.6H2O) addition, (B) settling (2h), and use of flocculent (lime Ca(OH)2) in sample (C). Preceded with lime, Fenton`s process (Sample C) was most effective in the removal of organic carbon and nitrogen (89% COD; 80% TKN). The removal efficiency in inorganic loads (91% TSS; 62% TS) were achieved under H2O2/COD (w/w ratio 2:1), H2O2/Fe+2 (w/w ratio 10:1) and acidic conditions (pH = 3). The adoption of AOP...

Application potential of small-scale solar desalination for brackish water in the Jordan Valley, Palestine

This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) uni... more This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) units for the desalination of brackish water in the Jordan Valley, the food basket for the West Bank, Palestine. Pilotscale RO units are appropriate because of the low energy requirement, market availability, size and area and convenience of installation in the Jordan Valley's harsh conditions. The study concerned the Marj Naajeh desalination unit. The economic feasibility was compared to other alternative energy sources (diesel generators and network electricity). The environmental costs were considered as well as the economic costs. The results obtained suggest upgrading 162 agricultural wells of different water capacities and quality. Further studies on design capacity and efficiency of future desalination facilities would be beneficial.

Application potential of small-scale solar desalination for brackish water in the Jordan Valley, Palestine

International Journal of Environmental Studies

This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) uni... more This paper investigates the feasibility of using solar energy coupled to reverse osmosis (RO) units for the desalination of brackish water in the Jordan Valley, the food basket for the West Bank, Palestine. Pilot-scale RO units are appropriate because of the low energy requirement, market availability, size and area and convenience of installation in the Jordan Valley&#39;s harsh conditions. The study concerned the Marj Naajeh desalination unit. The economic feasibility was compared to other alternative energy sources (diesel generators and network electricity). The environmental costs were considered as well as the economic costs. The results obtained suggest upgrading 162 agricultural wells of different water capacities and quality. Further studies on design capacity and efficiency of future desalination facilities would be beneficial.

Perceptions of Farmers and Public Towards Irrigation with Reclaimed Wastewater in Jordan and Tunisia

Despite the high demand and sever shortage of water in Jordan and Tunisia, substantial amounts of... more Despite the high demand and sever shortage of water in Jordan and Tunisia, substantial amounts of treated wastewater are discharged into seas and valleys. This paper studies the perceptions of Jordanian and Tunisian farmers’ and public towards reuse of reclaimed wastewater in irrigated agriculture. A field survey was conducted in both countries employing two sets of questionnaires and targeting 96 farmers and 326 households. The results reveal reasonably high levels of farmers’ acceptance to use reclaimed wastewater and public acceptance to consume crops irrigated with this water. The study analyzes the factors that influence decisions of farmers and public to accept or reject irrigation with the reclaimed wastewater and related crops, respectively. The results also identify the major factors that might be influential in changing the perceptions and attitudes farmers’ and public.

Pilot - scale anaerobic digester for enhanced biogas production from poultry manure using a solar water heating system

A pilot-scale (0.5 m3) anaerobic digester was constructed in a small Palestinian poultry farm. Th... more A pilot-scale (0.5 m3) anaerobic digester was constructed in a small Palestinian poultry farm. The farm, located in Beit Ur Al Foqa village of Ramallah district, with a total area of 140 m2 and accommodating about 1800 birds every 50 days produces annually about 6.57 tonnes (18 kg/day). The digester was filled with poultry manure and operated to obtain design parameters for a farm-scale biogas plant. The digester contained 20% of poultry manure co-digested with seed materials (70% cow manure and 10% anaerobic sludge) and mixed with the water in (1:1 ratio) to create dry digestion conditions (20% TS). Operated for one year, the feeding sequence of the anaerobic digester was once a day with a loading capacity of the daily produced manure in the farm. A low-cost solar water heating system was installed to enhance the biogas production in the digester under mesophilic process conditions. Poultry manure proved a suitable substrate for the installed biogas digester with total solids: 20%,...

Advancing Environmental Education and Training for Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources in Palestine

Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 2009

This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental... more This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies of Birzeit University during the past 10 years. It highlights the gained experience in advancing environmental science and engineering education and training programs as components of sustainable water and environmental management schemes. Furthermore, the major constraints faced, and future plans to sustain and enhance the

Advancing Environmental Education and Training for Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources in Palestine

Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 2009

This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental... more This article describes the various capacity-building activities at the Institute of Environmental and Water Studies of Birzeit University during the past 10 years. It highlights the gained experience in advancing environmental science and engineering education and training programs as components of sustainable water and environmental management schemes. Furthermore, the major constraints faced, and future plans to sustain and enhance the

Evaluation of Advanced Chemical Oxidation Process for the Pretreatment of Mixed Agro-Food Industrial Wastewater in Nablus, Palestine

This study investigated the reduction of organic loads from mixed agro-food industrial wastewater... more This study investigated the reduction of organic loads from mixed agro-food industrial wastewaters (dairy and slaughterhouse) of Nablus city using advanced oxidation process (AOP), a high- rate chemical oxidation reaction. Bench-scale Jar tests using an advanced oxidation process (AOP) were performed as a pretreatment stage. Direct applications of classical Fenton’s process on mixed raw agro-food wastewater samples (COD: 15400-18200 mg/l) revealed unsatisfactory results. The performance of the Fenton process was evaluated using three mixed samples with different pre-treatment trials: (A) coagulant (FeCl3.6H2O) addition, (B) settling (2h) allowed, and use of flocculent (lime Ca(OH)2) in sample (C). Compared with other partial treatments, sample (C), Fenton`s process lime preceded, was the most effective in the removal of organic (89% COD; 80% TKN) and inorganic loads (91% TSS; 62% TS) under H2O2/COD (w/w ratio 2:1), H2O2/Fe+2 (w/w ratio 10:1) and acidic conditions (pH =3). Obtained r...

Willingness of farmers to pay for reclaimed wastewater in Jordan and Tunisia

Water Science and Technology: Water Supply

Despite water scarcity and high agricultural water consumption in the Middle East and North Afric... more Despite water scarcity and high agricultural water consumption in the Middle East and North Africa region, substantial amounts of treated wastewater are discharged into seas without proper utilization. This can be attributed to either farmers' unwillingness to use or to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Therefore, a field survey was conducted in Jordan and Tunisia, which are considered as representative to the MENA region, using a prepared and pilot tested questionnaire. This study applies the contingent valuation method to elicit the willingness of farmers to pay for reclaimed wastewater. Logistic regression analysis is applied in an attempt to build a model that correlates qualitative responses of farmers to monetary stimuli. The water price seriously affects farming profitability and farmers' willingness to pay for reclaimed wastewater.

Comparison between algae-based and duckweed-based wastewater treatment: differences in environmental conditions and nitrogen transformations

Water Science and Technology

In laboratory-scale batch experiments, duckweed (Limna gibba)-based and algae-based wastewater co... more In laboratory-scale batch experiments, duckweed (Limna gibba)-based and algae-based wastewater containers have been monitored over 15 days in two experiments with different initial total nitrogen concentrations of 50 (experiment 1) and 100 mg-N/L (experiment 2). Clear differences in environmental conditions were observed. High dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were observed in the algae-based ,compared to duckweed-based, containers. In the algae-based containers the DO range was between 2.1 to 6.6 mg/L and 1.2 to 4.3 mg/L in experiment 1 and 2, respectively, whereas in the duckweed-based containers DO ranged between 1.1 to 3 mg/l and 0.5 to 2.1 mg/L. Higher pH values were measured in algae-based due to algal photosynthetic activity compared to duckweed-based containers where the duckweed mat prevented sunlight penetration and hence algal development. In algae-based containers, the pH range was 7.9 to 8.6 and 8.1 to 8.4 in experiments 1 and 2, respectively, and 7.3 to 7.5 and 7 to...

Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate Areas Acceptance to Use Treated Waste Water

Dirasat Engineering Sciences, May 31, 2010

... Keywords. People's Acceptance, Treated Waste Water, Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, P... more ... Keywords. People's Acceptance, Treated Waste Water, Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, Palestine. تقبل سكان ريف محافظة رام الله والبيرة لاستخدام المياه العادمة المعالجة. Zohair Deek, Maher Abu Madi, Rashed Al Sa'ed. Abstract (ar). ...

Reducing the Environmental and Economic Impact of the Unhairing-Liming Process in the Leather Tanning Industry

The environmental impact of the tanning industry is generally significant with outputs of wastes,... more The environmental impact of the tanning industry is generally significant with outputs of wastes, i.e. high concentrations of organics, salts and heavy metals (chromium compounds), both in solid and liquid form, as a result. In order to bring the tanning industry more in line with present environmental thinking, various methods have been devised to reduce impacts. The underlying study proposes a modification of the method for unhairing-liming of hides where the unhairing-liming liquids are reused several times after being recharged by reduced quantities of chemicals. The study, therefore, aims at reducing both the economic and environmental costs of the unhairing-liming process. Experiments were carried out at lab scale with a simulation apparatus designed for the purpose. Life cycle assessment was used to evaluate the net environmental benefits of the modified method. The present value approach was used to evaluate the economic feasibility of the modified method. The quality of the produced leather was assessed by experts from the tanning sector (tanners). On the environmental level, the modified method reduced the environmental impact of the process by 24%, COD was reduced by 50% as well as sulfide which was reduced by 73% when the process water was recycled four times. The modified method requires some investment in new equipment and is a little more labor intensive as compared with the conventional method but does permit for savings in water up to 58% and chemicals up to 28% as well as wastewater treatment cost which was reduced by 58%. The modified method allowed for four times reuse of the unhairing-liming liquor without visibly affecting the quality of the final product of leather. It was concluded that both the economic and the environmental costs of the unhairing-liming process were reduced relative to the same of the conventional method.

Investigations on Nitrification Process of Ammonium-Rich Wastewater in Single Stage Activated Sludge Systems. Dr.-Eng. Thesis. Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, 1987

The nitrification process of ammonium-rich (100 -1200 mg N/l) synthetic and industrial wastewater... more The nitrification process of ammonium-rich (100 -1200 mg N/l) synthetic and industrial wastewater with low BODS (100 mg/l) were investigated over a period of 20 months. Five identical bench scales, completely mixed and single-stage activated sludge units were used. Fundamental process and design parameters of nitrification were studied in different phases under steady-state conditions (pH = 7.6, DO 3 mg 02/1, and temperature = 25 oC ± 5 oC). The major objectives of this research include the effects of C/N ratio, sludge age, BOD5 and NH4-N sludge loading, hydraulic loading, process pH and temperature, and finally long periods of anoxic conditions on nitrification process. All experimental data were obtained from averages of steady-state periods (six weeks in duration) for each process variable condition change. During phase one, four reactors (A, B, C and D), treating synthetic wastewater, were operated at the same NH4 volumetric loading (0.26 kg N/m3*d) but at different BOD loading ...

Situation analysis and perspectives of transboundary wastewater management along Israel/Palestine borders

Environmental problems between countries can have deep historical roots and consequences for seve... more Environmental problems between countries can have deep historical roots and consequences for several reasons. Most environmental transboundary problems are yet to be resolved. Solutions that were developed responded to the forces of political, media, and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and did not respond to the needs or reality on the ground. This paper focuses on transboundary wastewater management between Israel and Palestine. The measures undertaken by Israel, the stronger party, and the associated effects on solving the transboundary pollution issues are presented. Of equal importance, procedures followed by the weaker party, Palestine, to resolve the environmental problems are discussed. The responsibility of the donor countries and local NGOs in the conflict is also addressed. Results obtained revealed that the current bi-national agreement does not achieve environmental justice and protection. The stronger party applies stringent standards and guidelines, which ...