Investigating the Possibility of Using Recycled Industrial Wastewater Instead of Potable Water in Concrete Mixture

Iran is located in the Middle East with a population of approximately 81 million people (2017). The Middle East in general and Iran in particular are located in an arid region of the world. Iran has a chronic shortage of water. It is estimated there is some form of drought in 97 percent of the country. In an 8-month period (September 23, 2017-May 21, 2018) the country has received 151.5 millimeters of rain while the long-term averages are 214.6 millimeters which indicates a 29-perecnt drop in mean precipitation nationwide. The driving factors behind water shortages are numerous. Some are natural and others man-made. One of the biggest factors is population growth. The population of Iran doubled between 1976 and 2001, going from 33 million to 66 million Iranians. The population is still rising, and currently stands at over 80 million people. And as this figure rises, the volume of renewable water resources available per capita drops. It is already critically low. 35% of the populations are living in areas experiencing water shortages and droughts. Global warming is contributing to bodies of water drying out, and the problem is expected to worsen as climate change increases. The socio-economic changes happening alongside this exacerbate the problem. Fresh water is a precious commodity here. Population and economic growth has increased the demand for fresh water in the region. Limited supply and increased demand has created a challenge for governments and construction industry. Therefore this article is investigating the possibility of using alternative sources of water with the aim of reducing the demand for the limited supply of fresh water. Ibrahim al Ghusain and his Colleague used car wash wastewater on investigate effect of reusing wastewater in concrete mixture in different situation as Temperature and long term and varying degrees of treatment on compressive strength and they found that territory treated car wash wastewater has more compressive strength than others [1]. In another case Shahiron Shahidana and his colleagues worked on effect of reusing car wash wastewater in different quantity for measuring, tensile strength and Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and compressive strength of concrete. In this paper was shown the optimum percentage of car wash wastewater as fresh water replacement in concrete mixes is 20% [2]. For the purpose of the article recycled industrial wastewater from an industrial park in the city of Yazd of Iran was used in mixing concrete and its effect on compressive strength of concrete was analyzed. Concrete samples for testing purposes were mixed using ordinary Portland cement and common aggregate used in concrete work for general construction purposes. Samples were prepared according to ASTM standard of C 192 and after curing in the laboratoryenvironment for different periods they were crushed to determine the compressive strength. In this experiment test results indicated that all samples prepared with treated industrial wastewater exhibit an increased compressive strength compared to the samples prepared with potable water. This finding shows promising results for conservation of fresh water supplies by using alternative sources of water for concrete mix.