Optimization of wastewater treatment management and reclamation for irrigation reuse

ABSTRACT - In the last years the water reuse topic has become even more prominent, increasing the need for new practices in terms of efficient water management. Reuse and valorization of water from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can help solving the problem. In this contest, we studied the traditional denitrification/nitrification scheme followed by a natural disinfection/storage tank in order to optimize the process for irrigation reuse. The study is based on data from an experimental pilot-scale plant, located in Trebbo di Reno (BO,Italy) and from a recent field campaign carried out on internal fresh water of the Allacciamento Channel inside the basin of Porto Canale Cesenatico (FC,Italy). Using WEST software to model the first phase and a dispersed flow equation to model the Escherichia coli (E.coli) removal rate in the following tank, we optimize the overall process to test the capacity of a Business Process Management (BPM) approach to model the water storage management for irrigation reuse.