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The P‐graph approach for systematic synthesis of wastewater treatment networks
Author(s) -
Yenkie Kirti M.,
Pimentel Jean,
Orosz Ákos,
Cabezas Heriberto,
Friedler Ferenc
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.17253
Subject(s) - computer science , heuristic , graph , graph theory , wastewater , enumeration , mathematical optimization , biochemical engineering , theoretical computer science , engineering , mathematics , artificial intelligence , waste management , combinatorics
Wastewater treatment consists of three or four sequential stages: preliminary, primary, secondary, and tertiary. Each stage can comprise multiple alternative technologies that can perform the same tasks with different efficiencies, operating times, and costs. Thus, we propose a systematic approach for designing wastewater treatment networks by utilizing principles of mathematical modeling and generating an exhaustive enumeration of all the possible technologies and their connections during the early stages of designing a treatment facility. Some of these structures are nonintuitive and include recycling, reprocessing, bypasses, and multiple technologies in parallel or series to remove the same contaminant. The nonintuitive structures with multiple technologies may provide a measure of resilience compared to typical heuristic designs. Thus, the combination of P‐graph methodology and the sequence of treatment technologies predicted via the optimization algorithm from the maximal structure is based on holistic considerations and does not lead to suboptimal solutions.