Modeling, simulation and design of a portable wastewater treatment plant: A new mechanistic dependent sedimentation model and computational algorithm

Abstract

The integration of various industrial wastewater treatment processes into a compact and efficient system aimed at reducing space and operational costs is economical for environmental stakeholders in this domain. This research focuses on the development of a kinetic-dependent sedimentation model and a simulation framework to enhance the efficiency of treating industrial wastewater in compact systems. The study used experimentally determined operating conditions, wastewater characteristics, and sludge concentration as parameters to study reaction rates and hydrodynamics for optimizing the dimensions of the treatment plant. The impact of varying reaction conversion on the performance indicators of the flocculation mix tank and clarifier basin was investigated at varying detention periods of 1.5–3 h, temperatures of 20–30 °C. The results showed that mechanistic and water parameters have a significant effect on the sludge hydrodynamics of the sedimentation model. The optimization statistics established a high correlation between reaction conversions, mixing power dissipation, and functional dimensions (radii and depths inclusive) of the flocculation mix tank and clarifier basin to 0.9490 ≤ R² ≥ 0.9630 at a 95 % confidence interval. An increase in the reaction conversion (X_A ≤ 0.9) was significant on the performance of the flocculation mix tank and clarifier basin to guarantee biodegradation of organics, colour removal, and the total solids to settle with 90 % efficiency in concentric circular tanks. The optimized design geometry satisfied the design criterion: surface overflow rate < settling velocity, clarifier radius > radius of the flocculation mix tank to allow coagulation-flocculation aided sedimentation treatment to satisfy effluent discharge.