Open AccessSimulation of Cr-III dispersion in the High Bogotá River Basin using the WASP model
Author(s) -
Luis Angel Ramos Ramirez,
Marco Andrés Guevara-Luna,
Juan Sebastian Chiriví-Salomón,
Diana Marcela Muñoz Nieto
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
revista facultad de ingeniería universidad de antioquia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.16
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2422-2844
pISSN - 0120-6230
DOI - 10.17533/udea.redin.20191155
Subject(s) - pollutant , pollution , environmental science , dispersion (optics) , drainage basin , mixing (physics) , current (fluid) , environmental engineering , flow (mathematics) , river pollution , structural basin , hydrology (agriculture) , streamflow , geology , geography , geotechnical engineering , geomorphology , chemistry , cartography , mathematics , ecology , physics , oceanography , organic chemistry , optics , biology , geometry , quantum mechanics
The Bogotá River is the major river in Cundinamarca because it crosses the entire region from north to south. Industries from different economic activities have been established in the river, especially tanneries. Nevertheless, the current and traditional tanning process requires a large volume of water and generates tremendous environmental problems due to the chemical composition of dumpings that are discharged in the river. Chrome III (Cr III) is a persistent pollutant that represents a huge health public problematic because it can transform into Chrome VI, which is very harmful to the environment and people. Simulations carried out with this pollutant can help to establish a degree of pollution and monitoring and treatment spots in the river. For this reason, we aimed to simulate Cr III in a defined stretch of approximately 8 km along from Villapinzón. WASP model was chosen to simulate this pollutant with the study conditions, based on its software properties and similarities with previous studies. From our results, eight mixing zones were identified in the simulated stretch, which constitutes key points for water uptake for treatment and further applications. Dispersive coefficient, flow, and system geometry were identified as the main factors in the simulation. WASP efficiently simulated the system because observed and obtained data reached an index of agreement (IOA) of 0.975, which is higher than the criterium established for simulation. Experimental data can improve simulations to further understand the degree of pollution in the river.