title: An interval-parameter waste-load-allocation model for river water quality management under uncertainty.
abstract: A simulation-based interval quadratic waste load allocation (IQWLA) model was developed for supporting river water quality management. A multi-segment simulation model was developed to generate water-quality transformation matrices and vectors under steady-state river flow conditions. The established matrices and vectors were then used to establish the water-quality constraints that were included in a water quality management model. Uncertainties associated with water quality parameters, cost functions, and environmental guidelines were described as intervals. The cost functions of wastewater treatment units were expressed in quadratic forms. A water-quality planning problem in the Changsha section of Xiangjiang River in China was used as a study case to demonstrate applicability of the proposed method. The study results demonstrated that IQWLA model could effectively communicate the interval-format uncertainties into optimization process, and generate inexact solutions that contain a spectrum of potential wastewater treatment options. Decision alternatives can be generated by adjusting different combinations of the decision variables within their solution intervals. The results are valuable for supporting local decision makers in generating cost-effective water quality management strategies.
authors.affiliation: Sino-Canada Center of Energy and Environmental Research, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China. xiaoshengqin@tom.com
authors.forename: Xiaosheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Guohe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Baiyu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D008956:Models, Chemical; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D035501:Uncertainty; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds; D002244:Carbon; D010100:Oxygen