Abstract
ABSTRACT The selection of sewage treatment plants within watersheds is a complex process when there are multiple outflows presenting different loads and watercourses presenting different assimilation capabilities. In this context, the present study aims to establish a methodology for pre-selection of wastewater treatment alternatives within watersheds. The methodology involves the combined use of water quality model, optimization technique and a set of technical and economic criteria associated with different wastewater treatment systems. To evaluate the proposed methodology there were considered different effluent disposal scenarios in the Pardo river watershed. Pardo is a major tributary of the Itapemirim river, watercourse located in the southern portion of Espírito Santo State, Brazil. The results indicated that the optimization model, that aimed to minimize wastewater treatment efficiencies within the watershed, considering watercourses self-purification capacities, selected treatment systems ranging from the combination of UASB and polishing lagoons systems to slow infiltration, treatment alternatives that presented the lowest net cost estimates. The incorporation of equity perspective between treatment systems increased the total present net cost associated with wastewater treatment within the watershed.
Highlights
Urban areas population concentration is one of the main aspects to be considered in water resources management
The second highest concentration peak estimated by the water quality model (8.5 mg/L) was due to the final disposal of the sewage produced by Iúna municipality, the second most populous municipality located in the basin
Water quality model combined with the optimization technique allowed the appropriation of the minimum BOD removal efficiencies for the different Pardo river basin effluent disposal points
Summary
Urban areas population concentration is one of the main aspects to be considered in water resources management. In Brazil, increasing urban and industrial pollution loads, associated with inadequate land use, erosion, deforestation, indiscriminate use of agricultural inputs and mining have made water supply and water quality conditions severe in many places. Among water quality control measures, individual or collective sewage treatment before final disposal is usually the main - and often the only - control strategy through which it is sought released pollutants concentrations reduction to enable compliance with the watercourses quality standards recommended by Brazilian environmental legislation (VON SPERLING, 2005). The sewage treatment system selection process should be based on the analysis of technical, economic and environmental criteria, taking into account treatment alternatives qualitative and quantitative aspects (VON SPERLING, 2005). Cost is usually considered the most relevant aspect for the selection of treatment plants (TCHOBANOGLOUS; BURTON, 1991)
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