Methodological approach for the optimization of drinking water treatment plants' operation: a case study.
Critical barriers to safe and secure drinking water may include sources (e.g. groundwater contamination), treatments (e.g. treatment plants not properly operating) and/or contamination within the distribution system (infrastructure not properly maintained). The performance assessment of these systems, based on monitoring, process parameter control and experimental tests, is a viable tool for the process optimization and water quality control. The aim of this study was to define a procedure for evaluating the performance of full-scale drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and for defining optimal solutions for plant upgrading in order to optimize operation. The protocol is composed of four main phases (routine and intensive monitoring programmes - Phases 1 and 2; experimental studies - Phase 3; plant upgrade and optimization - Phase 4). The protocol suggested in this study was tested in a full-scale DWTP placed in the North of Italy (Mortara, Pavia). The results outline some critical aspects of the plant operation and permit the identification of feasible solutions for the DWTP upgrading in order to optimize water treatment operation.
Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture, Land and Environment, University of Brescia, Via Branze 43, Brescia 25123, Italy.
Sabrina
S
Sorlini
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, Pavia 27100, Italy E-mail: federico.castagnola@unipv.it.
Maria Cristina
MC
Collivignarelli
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, Pavia 27100, Italy E-mail: federico.castagnola@unipv.it.
Federico
F
Castagnola
ASMare srl, Via Tiziano Vecellio 540, Mortara 27036, Italy.
Barbara Marianna
BM
Crotti
Department of Chemistry, Material and Chemical Engineering 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Via L. Mancinelli 7, Milano 20131, Italy.
Massimo
M
Raboni
D060766:Drinking Water; D060587:Groundwater; D007558:Italy; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply
D060766:Drinking Water