Simulation study to improve wastewater treatment plant operation and upgrading

Abstract

Climate change has become the essential topic of global concern; no country, large or small, rich or poor, will be protected from its ramifications. Lebanon is vulnerable to climate change due to temperature increase, precipitation decline, sea level rise and increase in extreme weather events which is leading to water scarcity. Very little investment has been made in the past on sewage treatment facilities; water supply and treatment often received more priority than wastewater collection and treatment. However, wastewater treatment deserves greater emphasis and should receive greater attention. The purpose of this research is to study the efficiency of the Wastewater Treatment Plant at University of Balamand, North Lebanon in producing an effluent suitable for re-use in irrigation. This is done by monitoring the main physical, chemical, and microbiological water quality parameters, and comparing them with the Lebanese and WHO standards for effluents discharged into surface or sea water. In order to obtain an optimal solution from a purification performance view point and to provide essential operating rules to enable operation staff to better technically and scientifically base the management of the plant, simulation with the GPS-X software is used and results show very satisfactory control performance of the wastewater treatment plant. The obtained results confirmed a good functioning of the UOB Wastewater Treatment Plant along the studied period where almost all measured parameters were below the MOE and UOB Standards. In addition, with GPS-X, improving capacity, operating efficiency and effluent quality by properly optimizing the existing facility can be obtained.