Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming Model for Sustainable Water Management in Macroscopic Systems: Integrating Optimal Resource Management to the Synthesis of Distributed Treatment Systems

Abstract

Recognizing the growing pressure on water resources, the literature reports several efforts in the area of mathematical programming to deal with the management of industrial and macroscopic water systems. This paper presents a mathematical programming model which integrates two strategies for sustainable water management. On the one hand, the model allows finding an optimal schedule for the distribution and storage of natural and alternative water sources to satisfy the demands of different users in a macroscopic system, while maintaining sustainable levels of water in the natural water resources. On the other hand, optimal decisions also involve the number, capacity, type, and location of treatment units in a macroscopic system. Our approach results in a mixed integer linear programming (MINLP) multiperiod model which has been solved through the GAMS modeling environment. A case study with different scenarios shows the scope of the proposed approach and the significance of the results.