14.4.1 Water discharge guidelines and standards

Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) has water quality standards and guidelines for water discharges from its campuses, to uphold water quality in order to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health and welfare. Effluent from campus buildings, canteens, dormitories and laboratories must be treated before it is released, and its quality is tested every month against the national effluent standard. The evidence is publicly available on the University's websites.

Effluent Standards and Treatment Guidelines

Effluent from campus buildings, canteens, dormitories and laboratories must be treated before it is released, and its quality must meet the Notification of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on effluent standards for buildings (Type A buildings), B.E. 2567 (2024). Laboratory wastewater is first neutralised in separate tanks, and chemical waste is segregated under the ESPReL standard so that no chemicals are discharged into drains.

Independent Verification of Laboratory Chemical and Waste Management (ESPReL)

The ESPReL system is independently verified. In 2025, four Faculty of Science laboratories (19-1217, 19-714/19-715, 19-1001 and the Biochemistry and Molecular Science Research Laboratory) passed the ESPReL Peer Evaluation of the National Research Council of Thailand with full marks in all seven components, including chemical and waste management, and received certificates dated 29 August 2025 (Nos. 37-2025/00001–00004, valid until 29 August 2028). Four laboratories at Ongkharak Campus were certified on the same date: the Drug Development Research Center of the Faculty of Pharmacy, and the Advanced Chemical Analysis, Environmental Engineering and Chemical Engineering Laboratories of the Faculty of Engineering (Nos. 37-2025/00005–00008). Eight laboratories in three faculties now hold certificates, all of which cover the waste management system.

Monthly Effluent Monitoring Against the Standards

Effluent is tested every month by Water Analysis Center Co., Ltd., a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 (Testing No. 0029). In the analysis of the sample taken on 16 January 2025 from Building 19, Faculty of Science, Prasarnmit Campus (Report No. R 00434/68), all parameters met the discharge standards. The results compared with the standard limits were as follows.

1) pH: standard 5.5–9.0; SWU result 7.9

2) BOD: standard not more than 20 mg/L; SWU result 20 mg/L

3) Total suspended solids: standard not more than 30 mg/L; SWU result 30 mg/L

4) Oil and grease: standard not more than 20 mg/L; SWU result less than 2 mg/L

5) Total dissolved solids: standard not more than 1,000 mg/L; SWU result 228 mg/L

6) Total Kjeldahl nitrogen: standard not more than 35 mg/L as N; SWU result less than 5 mg/L

7) Sulfide: standard not more than 1.0 mg/L; SWU result less than 0.10 mg/L

The University also contributes expertise to wastewater management: Asst. Prof. Dr. Suthida Theepharaksapan of the Faculty of Engineering co-authored the chapter "Municipal wastewater treatment processes for sustainable development" (Elsevier, 2021).

The image below is the effluent analysis report for Building 19, Faculty of Science. The highlighted section shows the discharge standards and the 2025 results.

Source: https://science.swu.ac.th/sdgs/wastewater-treatment/

Source: https://cve.eng.swu.ac.th/integrated-and-hybrid-process-technology-for-water-and-wastewater-treatment-th/