A Multi-Objective Optimization of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Considering Maximizing Process Effectiveness of each Treatment

Process effectiveness in treatment shows how clean water can be treated, and maximizing it is important to achieve the water output requirements. In maximizing treatment effectiveness, optimizing the cost should also be considered to properly budget wastewater treatment plant design and operations. A mixed-integer linear programming model is developed for this, which considers treatment and storage capacity, and the treatment effectiveness of each process to ensure simultaneous minimization of cost and maximization of treatment effectiveness. The model showed that it is possible to skip treatments while having maximized effectiveness. Results show that it is mostly primary treatment that is skipped due to having high effectiveness in the secondary treatment since primary and secondary treatment removes the same byproducts. Future studies could strengthen the model by adding more factors affecting WWTP such as turbidity, temperature, and speed of flow.