Simulation of the improving effect of graphene visible‐light photocatalysis using the MIKE11 model of an urban landscape river in the Chaohu Lake Basin, China

Abstract

We selected the Tanchong River in Hefei as the site to test the efficacy of graphene visible‐light photocatalysis (GVLP), a new water treatment technology to improve water quality in black‐odorous rivers in urban landscapes. A model coupling the hydrodynamic force and water quality of the Tanchong River was constructed using the MIKE11 model. The numerical simulation method was used to model the concentrations of the main pollutants—chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations. The simulation of water quality in the river section treated by GVLP was verified by the Tanchong River water quality improvement project experiment. The results showed that the MIKE11 model can effectively simulate the effect of GVLP technology on water quality improvement. The removal rates of the main pollutants'—COD, NH3–N, and TP by GVLP were 43.9%, 82.1%, and 76.8%, respectively, thus proving GVLP's viability as a treatment for controlling water pollution in similar black‐odorous rivers.