5 female students design a system to reuse car wash water

Five female Emirati students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the College of Engineering at the UAE University, namely: Al-Yazia Matar Al-Rumaithi, Shamma Muhammad Jadwa, Nouf Mubarak Al-Saadi, Sarah Mansour Al-Shehhi, and Asia Abdullah Al-Qaidi, designed a system to conserve fresh water and increase the possibility of reusing the water resulting from Car wash.

The project took place in two stages, the first of which was to conduct a comprehensive theoretical review of the subject, and to conduct a questionnaire survey to collect the opinions of vehicle owners and managers of vehicle washing facilities, with regard to recycling water resulting from car washes. Through this questionnaire, a concept was developed and a preliminary assessment of the economic, environmental and social aspects was made. .

The second phase focused on collecting samples from car wash stations in the city of Al Ain, analyzing them to identify pollutants, and formulating alternative designs, as the survey showed that water consumption by one car wash station amounts to millions of liters annually, and through the car wash water recycling system, As designed, the cost of treating 1,000 liters of wastewater is about eight dirhams, proving that this design will ensure that car wash water is recycled sustainably and at a low cost.

Project Coordinator, Dr. Munjid Maraqa, said: “The importance of this project lies in considering that car washing is one of the common uses that consume huge amounts of water. Given the large volume of water resulting from car washing, its complex composition, and the pursuit of sustainability of car washing industries, recycling “This water is not only a process to meet environmental protection requirements, but it is also an opportunity to recover valuable water for the purpose of reuse.”

He added: “Car wash water may contain various pollutants, and these chemicals can reach the environment, and pose a threat to the valuable resources that we depend on. In addition, direct disposal of car wash water into the sewage system may also affect the efficiency of water treatment plants.” waste, and increases the load on these stations.”