Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Waste treatment'

New types of materials and products are developed every day, and subsequently, new types of wastes. At the same time, new regulations are put forth to protect human health and the ecosystems from the negative impacts of wastes. Often, the waste management industry is responsible to deal with these problems, and hence, good knowledge about wastes and their treatment is crucial. Waste is normally characterized in order to determine a treatment; however, this usually implies a known treatment method. This thesis aims to provide a structured approach about how to describe different treatments, and to provide guidance on how to characterize wastes in a solution oriented manner. A distinction is made between two types of treatments: those based on separation processes and those based on transformation processes, as well as combinations of the two. Separation processes are common in mechanical treatment such as sieving or air-classification. Transformation processes are common in such treatments as shredding, electroporation, radiation treatment, and stabilization. Most treatments consist of both a transformation and a separation process, such as incineration, in which the organic carbon is oxidized (transformed) into CO2,that then is separated from the remaining solids. Other examples of combined processes are composting and anaerobic digestion. A framework is presented that enables a quantitative description of different waste treatments such as anaerobic digestion and incineration in the same context. All transformation processes take place in an environment that can be described by environmental factors such as temperature, pH, redox, radiation etc. By relating different treatments or observations to each other in an n-dimension matrix, it is possible to not only locate the currently known treatments, but also to locate unexplored areas, i.e. combinations of environmental factors that could be used to treat wastes in new ways. The addition of the n-dimensional framework to the general characterization model, together with the “top down” strategy for characterization provide valuable insights useful for dealing with new types of wastes in an efficient manner.

This hypothesis driven research investigated the removal of Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn from synthetic metal solutions and real Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) from Wheal Jane mine in West Cornwall UK, employing waste gas sludge (BOS sludge) which is an end waste reside generated from steel production. Batch experiments showed the efficiency and adsorption rates increased with reduction in BOS sludge particle size, lower in initial metal concentration, increase in BOS sludge dosage, an increase in initial pH and increase in agitation speed. Fitting of the Langmuir isotherm model to experimental data gave a good fit with correlation coefficients R\(^2\)≥0.99 and the selectivity series of BOS sludge was: Cu\(^2\)\(^+\)>Fe\(^3\)\(^+\)>Zn\(^2\)\(^+\)>Mn\(^2\)\(^+\). For single and multiadsorbate systems, a Pseudo second order model was the most appropriate theory to satisfactorily describe experimental data and the rate limiting step for this process was chemisorption. Adsorption was spontaneous and high pH promoted adsorption possibly by precipitation and/or ion exchange processes which had taken place between the exchangeable cations present in BOS and solutions. Results from the treatment of real and synthetic AMD solutions revealed that BOS sludge worked well and hence BOS sludge as a novel low cost material could be used as a sustainable sorbent in AMD treatment technologies.

The sequencing batch reactor (SBR), developed from batch reactor technology, has made significant progress in the past two decades with increasing use in wastewater treatment. However, there are still some important aspects of the system that need improvement. Modelling SBR system, developing lab methods for estimation of the model parameters, re-defining SBR design parameters and comparing SBR and continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CFSTR) systems were the four objectives of this thesis. Previous SBR models cannot predict an entire SBR operation cycle because they have some obvious deficiencies. No consideration of soluble microbial products (SMP) by the models is one of the deficiencies. These deficiencies were carefully reviewed and discussed before beginning the modelling work. A new mathematical model based on the standard Lawrence and McCarty model and IAWPRC model No. 1 has been developed for the SBR activated sludge system. In contrast with previous SBR models, the most important developments of the new model are involving expressions for SMP formed from substrate metabolism and released from activated sludge decay and classifying different basic chemical oxygen demand (COD) categories based on their biodegradabilities. In the new SBR model, total COD is divided into two parts: soluble and insoluble. The soluble part is further subdivided into easy-to-biodegrade substrate (EBS), difficult-to-biodegrade substrate (DBS) and biologically inert organic materials (IOM). The classification of COD makes it possible to describe the degradation process of organic substances more precisely. Quantitative batch test methods for the classification of the substrate have been devised to aid in characterizing and developing the coefficient values of the new SBR model. The batch test techniques were employed for measuring the three different (EBS, DBS and IOM) soluble COD fractions in the influent as well as the formation or release of these three types of substances from metabolism and sludge decay. The kinetic constants of the new model can also be estimated by the techniques. It was found that EBS degradation followed Monod kinetics and DBS degradation followed first-order kinetics. It was also found that the soluble COD released from substrate metabolism is closely related to the type of substrate degraded while the soluble COD released from activated sludge decay is not. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The design and development of a system for disinfecting medical waste at the site of origin is presented. Investigation of the current commercial systems that accomplish this task shows that they all expose the waste to physical conditions that are harmful to all forms of life. Further, most are very expensive to install and to operate. A recently developed biochemical process promises to effectively inactivate harmful pathogenic organisms economically and without the danger of extreme heat or poisonous chemicals. The biochemical process is not yet fully developed. Nonetheless, the development of a marketable system to take advantage of this technology has been initiated. The motivation for developing this technology and the particular system that will employ it is presented. A general overview of the system and components is presented. Previous and suggested future testing strategies are explained. Component interactions and process control are described.
Master of Science

This Master Thesis “The Biological Treatment of Organic Food Waste” is done in the Master’sProgramme in Sustainable Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in co-operation with the company SRV återvinning AB. The report is dedicated to analyze different biological treatment methods (that is composting andfermentation), which are used for the handling of organic food waste. From this analysis I will suggest the best method or methods for the company SRV återvinning AB (the Södertörn Area inSweden) and for the Yavoriv Region in Ukraine in order to increase the environmental performance and to improve the environmental situation in the regions. To be able to do this, a lot of factors are taking into consideration and are described and discussed in this Thesis Work. General characteristic of the regions, different means of control for organic food waste handling, sorting methods of organic waste, as well as composting and fermentationmethods for treatment of organic waste are described and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods, their treatment and investment costs are distinguished in the Thesis. Different treatment methods are discussed from technical and economical points of view for applying them for the SRV and the Södertörn Area in Sweden and for the Yavoriv Region inUkraine and some solutions for these two regions are suggested. Also some recommendations for further studies are done.
www.ima.kth.se

There is approximately 14 million tonnes of biodegradable organic waste produced by households in the UK every year which must be treated or disposed of. The EC Directive on Landfill (1999/31IEC), is likely to lead to an increase in compo sting and anaerobic digestion as methods to treat the waste stream diverted from landfill. Householders play an important role in separating their waste, which, if not performed efficiently can lead to contamination of the organic waste stream, and hence the compost product. A survey is used to determine the attitude and behaviour of householders to waste issues. It was found that residents in the less affluent area were less likely to home compost and had a less favourable attitude towards environmental activities than residents in the affluent area. A comparison of compost from centralised composting schemes treating different organic waste streams found that compost derived from household waste was of a slightly poorer quality than that obtained from gardens/parks waste. As more waste is recycled as compost, it is becoming increasingly important to find alternative uses for compost. Leachability data are used to determine the environmental availability of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn contained in natural compost. Batch sorption data are used to determine uptake of additional Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn by compost and assess its potential use in remediation work, as an alternative to natural materials such as peat. The relative binding of these additional metals to compost is found to be in the order Pb>Cu≈Cd>Zn. The sorption of metals on compost takes place, at least in part, by exchange of calcium bound to the compost and there is evidence that the sorption occurs in both the humic and non-humic sites in the compost. The use of compost to bind metals in remediation work is discussed.

Microbial Fuel Cell is a novel technology that can be used for a waste water treatment in order to simultaneously remove carbonaceous matter and nitrogen while producing electrical power. Even if it is not an established technology so far, MFC could be a cost effective option for waste water treatment and the major challenge of this process will be the device scale-up. Exoelectrogenic bacteria are capable of converting the chemical energy of organic matter into electrical energy by transferring the electrons produced in the oxidation to the anode electrode. This project focused on developing a single device for nitrification, denitrification and carbon removal. Two double air-cathode single chamber MFCs are used to test the feasibility of this process that could replace the biological unit in a waste water treatment train. The cells tested in this study were manufactured with the purpose of achieving a high surface area on both the anode electrode (vitreous carbon foam) and the air-cathode electrodes (metallic mesh with diffusion layer and active layer) with different catalysts for the reduction reaction (cobalt and platinum). The bacterial biofilm growth is a fundamental step and the cells Open Circuit Potential was monitored during all the start-up period to determine the microorganism acclimation: a three days lag period was observed in both cells before the potential rise. The second cell was forced to reach higher voltage through an anode polarization and that seems to positively affect the biofilm stability at lower voltages transferring a greater amount of electrons and hence obtaining a higher current and power generation. For this reason after three weeks of inoculation the second cell reached an open circuit potential of 0.76 V which is a promising value for such a system. Electrochemical and biological tests were conduced in order to test the power production of the cell and the substrate removal from the waste water. Polarization curves were used to evaluate power generation (and the maximum production under a specific external load) and the cell voltage trend which is characterized by activation and ohmic losses: 32 mW/ and 41 mW/  are the power density normalized by cathode surface (72 ) reached by respectively first and second cell. The experimental conditions were varied from low to high temperature and from low to high inlet flow rate but the most affecting phenomenon seems to be the biofilm formation since significant voltage drops were noticed after long closed circuit operation. Higher cell voltage characterized the second cell thanks to more active cathode (platinum catalyst used) and more negative bacterial biofilm but a bigger drop in current generation over time affects the system performance and the most reliable reason is the shorter acclimation time compared to the first cell. Cyclic voltammetry tests were carried out on both electrodes to study the potential range of activity and determine an optimal operational voltage despite of mass transport or kinetic limitations. Substrate removal tests at different retention times in power generation conditions (external load 100 Ω) showed a relatively high total nitrogen consumption (maximum 72.2 %) for the first cell while lower values were achieved by the second system meaning that a longer acclimation period is beneficial for nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria to thrive on the cathode biofilm. Effluent pH level are almost similar to the initial values probably because of nitrification and denitrification protons offset.

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions la (dé)excitation vibronique et la recombinaison dissociative du CH+ par impact d'électrons de faible énergie. Nous développons d'abord une approche théorique de l'excitation (dé)vibronique de CH+ par impact d'électrons. Dans cette approche, la méthode de la matrice R à noyaux fixes est utilisée pour calculer les matrices de diffusion des électrons et des ions dans l'approximation de Born-Oppenheimer. Une transformation vibronique du cadre et la procédure d'élimination à canal fermé dans l'esprit de la théorie des défauts quantiques moléculaires sont utilisées pour construire une matrice de diffusion dépendant de l'énergie décrivant les interactions entre les canaux vibroniques de l'ion cible induits par l'électron incident. La matrice de diffusion obtenue tient compte de la série de résonances vibroniques de Rydberg dans le spectre de collision. Les sections transversales de l'excitation vibronique pour différentes combinaisons d'états vibroniques initiaux et finaux sont calculées. Un bon accord entre les sections transversales d'excitation électronique, obtenu en utilisant la théorie des défauts quantiques et dans un calcul direct de matrice R, démontre que l'approche actuelle fournit un outil fiable pour la détermination des sections transversales d'excitation (dé)vibronique pour des cibles avec des résonances électroniques de faible énergie. De telles cibles étaient difficiles à traiter théoriquement avec les méthodes précédentes. Dans le même cadre que celui appliqué aux excitations (dé)vibroniques, nous calculons en outre la section transversale pour la recombinaison dissociative à basse énergie de CH+ couplant la fonction de base de l'onde sortante définie par le potentiel d'absorption complexe. La contribution des trois états ioniques X 1Σ +, a 3Π et A 1Π les plus bas et la série de Rydberg convergeant vers ces états sont pris en compte. Les sections transversales DR obtenues sont quantitativement en bon accord avec les mesures expérimentales et présentent une caractéristique de résonance analogue à la courbe de la section transversale expérimentale. L'origine des résonances proéminentes dans les résultats calculés est analysée par le calcul des probabilités de DR pour les ondes partielles de l'électron incident. On constate que les ondes partielles de type d, notamment dσ, dπ et dδ, contribuent considérablement à la DR du état de terrain CH+. Cela peut expliquer les écarts observés entre la théorie et l'expérience dans les études précédentes
In this thesis, we investigate the vibronic (de-) excitation and dissociative recombination of CH+ by low-energy electron impact. We first develop a theoretical approach for the electron-impact vibronic (de-) excitation of CH+. In this approach, the fixed-nuclear R-matrix method is employed to compute electron-ion scattering matrices in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. A vibronic frame transformation and the closedchannel elimination procedure in a spirit of molecular quantum defect theory are employed to construct an energy-dependent scattering matrix describing interactions between vibronic channels of the target ion induced by the incident electron. The obtained scattering matrix accounts for Rydberg series of vibronic resonances in the collisional spectrum. Cross sections for vibronic excitation for different combinations of initial and final vibronic states are computed. A good agreement between electronic-excitation cross sections, obtained using the quantum defect theory and in a direct R-matrix calculation, demonstrates that the present approach provides a reliable tool for determination of vibronic (de-) excitation cross sections for targets with low-energy electronic resonances. Such targets were difficult to treat theoretically using earlier methods. Within the same framework applied for the vibronic (de-) excitations, we further compute the cross section for low-energy dissociative recombination of CH+ coupling the outgoing-wave basis function defined by complex absorbing potential. The contribution of the three lowest X 1Σ +, a 3Π and A 1Π ionic states and the Rydberg series converging to those states are taken into account. The obtained DR cross sections are quantitatively in good agreement with the experimental measurements and exhibit a resonanc feature analogous to the experimental cross-section curve. The origination of the prominant resonances in the computed results are analyzed through computing the DR probabilities for the partial waves of the incident electron. The d-type partial waves including dσ, dπ and dδ are found considerably contributing to the DR of the ground-state CH+. This may explain the discrepancies observed between thoery and experiment in the preceeding studies

In this study the microbiological aspects of constructed wetlands were investigated during treatment of industrial effluents, using experimental reed beds in the UK, and also during the installation of reed beds for a commercial company in Ghana. The results showed that the microbiology of a reed bed is affected by the type and concentration of effluent that it is used to treat. Observational study, effluent treatment analysis and microbiological investigation of reed bed substrate, under various loading conditions, revealed that there may be an effect exerted by certain fractions of industrial waste streams that were detrimental to reed flora and the microbiological fauna of the reed beds. Inhibition of the microbial community of the reed bed substrate occurred in the reed beds treating factory effluent which were found to have had a significantly reduced microbial community in terms of colony forming units when compared to the reed beds treating domestic effluent. Treatment efficiency for biological oxygen demand ranged from 48-93%. In the UK, treatment of landfill leachate and tannery effluent showed that reed beds are effective in reducing effluent parameters such as chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen. Treatment performance for landfill leachate showed total nitrogen reduction ranging from 37-97%. Chemical oxygen demand treatment efficiency ranged from 28-95%. Treatment performance in terms of total nitrogen reduction in tanner effluent ranged from 66-99%, and for chemical oxygen demand 53-87%.

Water resources were one of the environmental factors which reacted with ocean, affected by climatic, geological changes, pollution phenomenon, all water in nature component suspended dissolved matter in different quantity, that waste water in every kinds as domestic, industrial, agricultural and others contains to additional pollution matter, these were byproducts of human activities, these several wasters caused water pollution, depended this pollution on degree of pollution concentration; types of wasters and to the conditions of hydrological, physical and climatic of water sources, which these garbage throws in water sources. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/7611

The objective of this research was to design an alternative wastewater treatment system for turkey processing plants to recover energy and reduce N and P to allowable discharge levels. The objective included: 1. Determine the quantity and quality of biogas produced from the turkey processing wastewater (TPW) and COD reduction efficiency. 2. Design a waste treatment system and validate proof of concept for simultaneous P and N removal with a goal of attaining effluent concentrations of 0.1 mg/L and 4 mg/L, for P and N, respectively. A lab-scale complete mixed anaerobic digester was used for turkey processing wastewater (TPW) digestion and biogas recovery running for 6 months. Along with the anaerobic digester, a two-sludge system called A2N-SBR consisting of an anaerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactor and an attached growth post-nitrification reactor was added for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal running for 3 months. Biogas production yields of 778 + 89 mL/gVSadded and 951.30 mL/g COD were obtained through anaerobic digestion. Also, an energy balance was conducted on a pilot scale digester for a turkey processing plant with wastewater production of 2160 m3/d and using a combined heat and power (CHP) enginefor conversion of biogas to heat and electricity. Although the biogas yield achieved in a complete mixed reactor was relatively lower than yields obtained in previous studies using reactors such as UASB, still a complete mixed reactor can be a good choice for biogas recovery from TPW and can be used for codigestion with some specific turkey processing byproducts for biogas recovery. Nitrogen and phosphorus removal in the A2N-SBR system were 47% and 75%, respectively, and during the study the nitrogen and phosphorus removal mean concentration in effluent did not meet the nutrient limits specified in the objectives. Average TP and TN in the effluent were 3.2 mg/L and 137 mg/L, respectively. Throughout the study, the nitrification reactor biofilm was not completely developed. Incomplete nitrification and poor settling might be the reasons that quality obtained in effluent was low. To improve the process condition in A2N-SBR, online monitoring of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) can help to optimize each stage in the SBR and stages duration can be set based on the results.
Master of Science

Im Laborversuch konnte der positive Einfluss einer thermobarischen Vorbehandlung auf die Hydrolysier- und Vergärbarkeit von Rinderfestmist und Rindergülle nachgewiesen werden. Die Laborergebnisse wurden innerhalb eines theoretischen Modells in den Praxismaßstab übertragen, um den Einfluss auf Treibhausgasemissionen, Energiebilanz und Ökonomie zu bewerten. Die Vorbehandlungstemperaturen im Labor lagen zwischen 140 und 220°C in Schritten von 20 K und einer Vorbehandlungszeit von jeweils 5 Minuten. Die höchste Methanmehr¬ausbeute von 58 % konnte bei einer Temperatur von 180°C ermittelt werden. Das Auftreten von Inhibitoren und nicht vergärbaren Bestandteilen führte bei einer Aufbereitungstemperatur von 220°C zu Methanausbeuten, die geringer waren als die des unaufbereiteten Einsatzstoffes. In einer erweiterten Analyse konnte ein funktioneller Zusammenhang zwischen der Methanausbeute nach 30 Tagen und der Methanbildungsrate und -ausbeute während der Beschleunigungsphase gezeigt werden. Mittels einer Regressionsanalyse der so ermittelten Werte wurde nachgewiesen, dass die optimale Aufbereitungstemperatur 164°C ist und die minimale größer als 115°C zu sein hat. Treibhausgasemissionen und Energiebilanz wurden im Rahmen einer Ökobilanz nach ISO 14044 (2006) ermittelt, sowie eine Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse durchgeführt. Dazu wurde eine Anlage zur thermobarischen Vorbehandlung entwickelt und innerhalb eines Modells in eine Biogasanlage integriert. Weiterhin wurde in diesem Modell Maissilage durch Rinderfestmist und / oder Rindergülle als Einsatzstoff ersetzt. Rinderfestmist, ein Einsatzstoff mit hohem organischen Trockenmassegehalt, der ohne Vorbehandlung nicht einsetzbar wäre, erreichte eine energetische Amortisationszeit von 9 Monaten, eine Vermeidung in Höhe der während der Herstellung emittierten Treibhausgase innerhalb von 3 Monaten und eine ökonomische Amortisationszeit von 3 Jahren 3 Monaten, wohingegen Rindergülle keine positiven Effekte zeigte.
Hydrolysis and digestibility of cattle waste as feedstock for anaerobic digestion were improved by thermobarical treatment in lab-scale experiments. The effects of this improvement on greenhouse gas emissions, energy balance and economic benefit was assessed in a full-scale model application. Thermobarical treatment temperatures in lab-scale experiments were 140 to 220°C in 20 K steps for a 5-minute duration. Methane yields could be increased by up to 58 % at a treatment temperature of 180°C. At 220°C, the abundance of inhibitors and other non-digestible substances led to lower methane yields than those obtained from untreated material. In an extended analysis, it could be demonstrated that there is a functional correlation between the methane yields after 30 days and the formation rate and methane yield in the acceleration phase. It could be proved in a regression of these correlation values that the optimum treatment temperature is 164°C and that the minimum treatment temperature should be above 115°C. The theoretical application of a full-scale model was used for assessing energy balance and greenhouse gas emissions following an LCA approach according to ISO 14044 (2006) as well as economy. A model device for thermobarical treatment has been suggested for and theoretically integrated in a biogas plant. The assessment considered the replacement of maize silage as feedstock with liquid and / or solid cattle waste. The integration of thermobarical pretreatment is beneficial for raw material with high organic dry matter content that needs pretreatment to be suitable for anaerobic digestion: Solid cattle waste revealed very short payback times, e.g. 9 months for energy, 3 months for greenhouse gases, and 3 years 3 months for economic amortization, whereas, in contrast, liquid cattle waste did not perform positive replacement effects in this analysis.

The purpose of the work described in this thesis was to explore the use of fractional crystallization as a technology that can be used to separate medium-curie waste from the Hanford Site tank farms into a high-curie waste stream, which can be sent to a Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), and a low-curie waste stream, which can be sent to Bulk Vitrification. The successful semi-batch crystallization of sodium salts from two single shell tank simulant solutions (SST Early Feed, SST Late Feed) demonstrated that the recovered crystalline product met the purity requirement for exclusion of cesium, sodium recovery in the crystalline product and the requirement on the sulfate-to-sodium molar ratio in the stream to be diverted to the WTP. The experimental apparatus, procedures and results obtained in this thesis on scaled-down experiments of SST Early and Late Feed simulated solutions were adapted and reproduced under hot-cell with actual wastes by our partners at Hanford. To prepare the application of the pretreatment process to pilot scale process, several varation to the feed solutions were investigated including the presence of carboxylates and amines organics compounds and solids particles. Results of the study showed that 4 organics species presented complications to the process (NTA, HEDTA, EDTA and sodium citrate) while the other species (Formate, acetate, glycolate and IDA) and solids particles did not in the conditions of the stored wastes. In this thesis, the kinetics of the crystalline species formed at the condition of the early feed certification run (66 °C and 25 g/h evaporation) were determined along with the effect of the operating temperature and evaporation rate on these kinetics. On one hand, the study of evaporation rate values ranging from 25g/h to 75g/h showed that an increase in evaporation rate increased the specific nucleation while decreasing the specific growth rate. On the other hand, experiments on operating temperature ranging from 35 °C to 75 °C displayed that the nucleation rate of all species increased with temperature at the exception of sodium carbonate monohydrate and burkeite crystals, and that the growth rate of all species increased with temperature at the exception of sodium nitrate. Furthermore, sulfate based crystals such as trisodium fluoride sulfate were only roduced at 45 °C and 75 °C. A simple steady state MSMPR population balance model was developed expressing the total population density function as the sum of the specific population density functions. The specific semi-batch crystallization kinetics were implemented in this model.

Pollution and waste are continually generated. The production of waste. however. has increased rapidly in recent years. An efficient and safe means of either neutralizing or disposing of this waste has been increasingly researched. In recent times, the potential of recycling and reusing the waste in construction works has been investigated. The studies have highlighted the benefits of such applications. In line with these studies, the current study investigated the suitability of using Incinerator Bottom Ash Waste (lBA W) as an alternative to conventional aggregates in the construction of road foundations. IBA W is a residual material produced by incinerating Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The potential advantage of this approach is that the reuse of IBA W helps to conserve the supplies of conventional aggregates and reduces the landfills needed to store the waste. However, such applications may cause serious environmental impacts as IBA W may be exposed to intermittent infiltration as a consequence of precipitation events or altering of the water table, resulting in a potential release of pollutants to soil and groundwater. This work is divided into three main parts. The first part investigates the potential environmental impacts by using leaching tests for treated and untreated IBA W. The treatment including stabilization and chemical processes was applied in this study for IBA W by using different types of novel and traditional additives. This treatment aimed at immobilizing the pollutants by integrating them in a strong matrix. The Iysimeter as a leaching tool was adopted to assess the potential impact of changing conditions such as liquid to solid ratio (LIS), pH value, IBA W content and different treatment agents on long-term release of heavy metals and salts to estimate the environmental risks of IBA W. Appropriate and reliable leaching models based on initial measurement of intrinsic material properties and simplified testing were used to predict the release of constituents of concern from IBA W and its migration and fate into soil. The second part of the thesis aims at analyzing the microstructure of IBA W material by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDXS) techniques. These tests are adopted to manifest the physical and chemical features of IBA Wand identify the nature of the materials and any secondary reaction elements, especially after mixing with water, with and without additives. This helps understanding the behaviour of the materials because there is a good correlation between the microstructural and chemical composition of the materials and their mechanical behaviour. The third part studies the mechanical properties of IBA W as an aggregate. An experimental programme has been undertaken to investigate the influence of treatment on the behaviour of IBA W blends for use as foundation layers. The research has focused on determining the blends' resilient modulus and permanent deformation. Cyclic and static triaxial compression tests were adopted to determine the materials' mechanical characteristics. Light Weight Falling Deflectometer (L WFD) test was also adopted as an in-situ evaluation for the elastic modulus of IBA W. Emphasis has been on examining the effect of various parameters, such as IBA W content, type and content of additives, moisture content, curing time and maximum nominal particle size on the behaviour of the investigated blends. The shakedown concept was adopted to evaluate the behaviour of the IBAW material under cyclic loading as a granular material. A new calculation model was proposed to estimate the plastic deformation of IBA W and granular materials under monotonic loading. Finite element modelling was adopted to simulate the IBA W material behaviour under static, cyclic and impact loading in macro and micro scales. The main findings of this study are that IBA W can be reused safely and successfully as an aggregate in construction applications. It also illustrated that IBA W may show similar or even better behaviour than conventional aggregate as observed under some conditions. IBA W also showed typical behaviour of conventional aggregates using the theoretical and modelling approaches. Some novel and traditional treatment agents resulted in a good improvement in IBA W behaviour in terms of environmental and mechanical properties.

Considering the high overall costs of radioactive waste disposal and the growing requirements for improved quality of the final waste form, the benefits offered by thermal processing become very significant. Key drivers for the application of thermal treatment processes include the reduced volume, improved passive safety, and superior long term stability of the vitrified wasteform products. Currently, a fundamental lack of scientific knowledge and understanding significantly hinders the uptake of thermal treatment processes for the immobilisation and disposal of plutonium contaminated material waste. The project will contribute to accelerating the acquisition of knowledge and experience required to support the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in deploying thermal technologies as a national asset for intermediate level waste (ILW) treatment. Plutonium contaminated materials (PCM) waste is a sub category of ILW. The current treatment method for PCM is supercompaction and cement encapsulation, however, there are significant concerns regarding the reliability of the treatment method to consistently deliver a waste form suitable for long term performance. This project follows on from previous work which provided proof of concept studies for thermally treating PCM waste. This work uses a soda lime silica (SLS) glass cullet as the glass forming additive to aid vitrification, providing substantial benefits in terms of costs saving compared to previous work. The thermal treatment experiments showed no violent reactions between the waste simulant and the glass additives. The Ce (acting as a Pu surrogate) was effectively partitioned within the slag fractions of the waste form, with crystalline regions present in certain formulations. The Ce was found as trivalent species providing confidence that the slag component of the wasteforms developed here could incorporate Pu at the concentrations expected from treatment of PCM wastes. The materials produced here are broadly comparable, in terms of durability, to other simulant UK ILW glass products considered potentially suitable for geological disposal. The project also investigates the potential to use the glass forming oxides found within the ILW itself to aid vitrification. Using suitable ternary phase diagrams, it is possible to use the waste and any additional additives to create a formulation to ensure a glass is successfully formed at a reasonable operating temperature whilst always maintaining compatibility with currently available technology platforms. This method was utilised to vitrify representative pond scabbling waste. The simulant waste contained high levels of SiO2 which, in combination with glass forming oxides, were successfully vitrified. Characterisation studies were performed to understand the relationship between Na2O and B2O3 and the effect this had on the microstructure of the resultant structure of the glass. Glass dissolution experiments were also performed to test the performance of the glass in conditions expected within a geological disposal facility (GDF). The thesis also includes the results of samples acquired from a three month student placement working with Kurion's geomelt facility at the Workington site (UK). Contained within this PhD are experiments which aim to provide significant information into the mechanism that drive glass alteration. However this data has only been applicable to short-term alteration. The research presented in Chapter 7 aims to understand the long term mechanism of the vitrified PCM waste by using 250 year old slag samples as a glass alteration analogue. The results presented provide evidence for the long term durability of the vitrified PCM waste samples.

The photocatalytic degradation of cinnamic acid, by TiO2, has been studied extensively in aerobic and anaerobic conditions and in the presence of common salts often found in industrial waste waters. Analysis of the intermediates formed found that molecular oxygen is central to forming the important radicals for the main benzaldehyde mechanism by which cinnamic acid initially degrades, as well as a key component required for the mineralisation to carbon dioxide. In the absence of molecular oxygen an alternate, but slower, pathway becomes the prevalent. The hydroxyl driven mechanism is capable of decarboxylation of the initial carboxyl group but further oxidation does not occur at a reasonable rate. By investigating the effect of salts in solution we found that sulfates and chlorides both interfere with degradation mechanisms and decrease the mineralisation efficiency of titania photocatalysis. Sulfates blocked important surface sites needed for substrate binding that inhibited the benzaldehyde pathway and slowed down the degradation pathway. Whilst chloride formed radical chlorine species (Cl∙) in the presence of TiO2 that resulted in the increase of cinnamic acid removal and the emergence of new reaction pathways. Cl∙ competed with the superoxide radical anion (O2∙-) to attack across the double bond of cinnamic acid, decarboxylate and form several new acetophenone-derived intermediates. A widening of the intermediate map, through the formation of new intermediates, is coupled with a significant slowing of total mineralisation which presents real issues for photocatalytic waste water treatment where chloride ions are present. Additionally, the chlorine radical induced pathways produce intermediates of a greater toxicity; bringing the implication that partial oxidative degradation could result in waste water with an increased toxicity. Anodic nanotubes were explored as an option for alternative materials to be used within photocatalytic reactors. Nanotubes anodised for 8 hours were found to be the most photoactive in the liquid phase, and in the surface degradation of contaminants, due to the wider pores that were structurally sound enough to not slope and reduce light penetration. The surface topography was identified as the key factor for promoting photocatalysis. It was also found that the materials had a cross-phase applicability, in that the most active liquid phase nanotubes were also the most efficient for surface degradation. The incorporation of tungsten into the anodisation process did not improve the photocatalytic activity. Photodeposition of palladium and gold resulted in a decrease in the degradative efficiency of the nanotube arrays. Pd/TiO2 and Au/TiO2 powders were found to reduce the degradation rate of cinnamic acid in oxygenated conditions, although both metals improved the oxidation of surface deposits of carbon. In deoxygenated conditions, Pd/TiO2 catalysts exhibited superior degradation of cinnamic acid in comparison to plain TiO2 and gold doped catalysts. Enhancements in the mineralisation rates, to CO2, were also found. The improvements were attributed to the presence of palladium improving charge separation and introducing new reaction sites capable of decarboxylating the alcohol and aldehyde functionalities, respectively. While the gold nanoparticles were poorly dispersed, they were found to increase the selectivity for phenylacetaldehyde, in deoxygenated conditions, by a factor of 5.

Nowadays, with concerns about environmental and health issues, the awareness of more environmentally friendly and sustainable waste disposal is growing. However, due to the widespread disposal of waste items in the fashion field, such as landfills and incineration, the problems caused by these disposal methods cannot meet people’s sustainable needs for waste treatment. Therefore, the project is based on consumers, focusing on the sustainable treatment of used garments, and provides some possibilities for solving problems related to other types of used products.  In order to achieve this goal, this project starts from the literature review of garments disposal behavior, and through the understanding of the theories such as life cycle assessment and waste hierarchy, as well as the collection and analysis of user survey data, completed the design of the project solution. By reference to the theoretical framework and application of the methodological framework, the project finally proposed a solution composed of three consumer-oriented design ideas, mainly in the form of social design to facilitate people’s recycling, reuse and other sustainable disposals of used garments.

Once current nuclear reactor operation ceases in the U.K. there will be an estimated 99,000 tonnes of irradiated nuclear graphite waste which may account for up to 30% of any future UK geological ILW disposal facility [1]. In order to make informed decisions of how best to dispose of such large volumes of irradiated graphite (I-graphite) within the UK nuclear programme, it is necessary to understand the nature and migration of isotopes present within the graphite structure. I-graphite has a combination of short and long term isotopes such as 14C, 3H and 36Cl, how these behave prior to and during disposal is of great concern to scientific and regulatory bodies when evaluating present decommissioning options. Various proposed decontamination and immobilisation treatments within the EU Euroatom FP7 CARBOWASTE program have been explored [2, 3]. Experiments have been carried out on UK irradiated British Experimental Pile Zero and Magnox Wylfa graphite in order to remove isotopic content prior to long term storage and to assess the long term leachability of isotopes. Several leaching conditions have been developed to remove 3H and 14C from the irradiated graphite using oxidising and various acidic environments and show mobility of 3H and 14C. Leaching analysis obtained from this research and differences observed under varying leaching conditions will be discussed. Thermal analysis of the samples pre and post leaching has been performed to quantify and validate the 14C and 3H inventory. Finally the research objectives address differences in leachability in the graphite to that of structural and operational variation of the material. Techniques including X-ray Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Autoradiography and Raman spectroscopy have been examined and show a significant differences in microstructure, isotope distribution and location depending of irradiation history, temperature and graphite source. Ultimately the suitability of the developed chemical treatments will be discussed as whether chemical treatment is a viable option prior to irradiated graphite long term disposal.

Wastewater from Abattoir systems is highly concentrated with nutrients from the processes that occur in the day to day operation of the facilities. The current systems in place to treat this wastewater are usually lacklustre in regards to Nitrogen and Phosphorous reduction. The following thesis investigates the Techno Economics of installing a microalgae treatment system in order to reduce the overall Nitrogen and Phosphorous levels effectively. Microalgae growth has been shown to lower the levels of these nutrients as they are key growth components of biomass. In order to find the Techno Economics a treatment system must first be designed for the abattoir waste. There is an extensive literature published in regards to abattoir waste loading including case studies from real abattoir systems. This literature data as well as the data from a local abattoir was used to find the total potential biomass that can be generated from the Nitrogen and Phosphorous loadings. With the total potential biomass calculated the land area required to generate the biomass was calculated using a specific microalgae growth rate in unit (g/m2/day). Once the land size was calculated the total pond system design began. Using the literature data supplied by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) unique systems were designed for three different size abattoirs. The data supplied was analysed on Pre AD data as well as simulated Post AD data as it was not recorded by the abattoirs. The total scale of these abattoirs ranged from a large scale (>2000 kL/day) to a small scale family run abattoir (<200 kL/day). The potential of these systems to generate biomass vary greatly from case to case. Biomass generation is important, as this will account for a large portion of the revenue needed for the profits generation. The techno economics for these systems increase as the systems get larger however the initial Capital Investment and annual Operational Expenditure do not rise greatly as the systems get larger. Several break even schemes were solved, by altering the price/kg of biomass, for each system in order to find the minimum biomass sale price. This value greatly increases as the size of the abattoir goes down, as expected due to the lower biomass generation as well as the similar system CAPEX and OPEX. For the largest abattoir the minimum sale price was $0.82/kg and for the smallest system it was $5.85/kg. The largest abattoir case is an achievable sale price requiring only a small margin commodity as opposed to the smallest scale which would require more expensive biomass to grow. The second case study supplied only the Post AD data which required no manipulation. The supplied data was taken over a 5 year period so the minimum, average and maximum waste loading cases, over this period, were analysed. The variation from the minimum case to the maximum case is ~830 kg potential biomass daily generated. This equates to a substantial difference in system design ranging from a 2 ha minimum system to a 9 ha pond system. As in Case Study one three break even schemes were solved for each individual case, the range of the sale data was $0.94/kg biomass for the minimum case and $0.89/kg biomass for the maximum case. These are achievable values depending on which microalgae strain will grow. From the analysis performed microalgae growth in Raceway ponds using feed from the abattoir wastewater is an economically viable project. The more biomass generated the lower minimum biomass sale price for break even as well as raise the NPV of the project. The market demand and specific microalgae strain that will grow in the effluent will determine the economic viability of raceway pond installation; however with the required $/kg being low, the system should be viable for most large scale abattoirs.

The most cost effective treatment scheme for effluent from Midfield Meats, an abattoir in Warrnambool, Australia, was evaluated via a series of laboratory and commercial scale experiments. Effectiveness was measured in terms of suspended solids (SS) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) reduction. Economic assessment was based on predicted reduction in trade waste charges versus infrastructure and running costs. From the range of potential treatment technologies, those deemed most appropriate for trialling included pre-screening, sedimentation, coagulation and flocculation treatment and dissolved air floatation (DAF). Prior to evaluation of treatment types, flow, loads and contaminant characterisation of the waste streams was conducted to aid in selection of treatment type and capacity. Prescreening was found to be the most cost effective, followed by sedimentation, coagulation and flocculation treatment and finally DAF. The most economical treatment scheme that satisfied the requirements of Midfield Meats included a combination of prescreening and sedimentation. DAF and coagulation and flocculation treatment satisfactorily treated the wastewater, however were not cost effective under the current trade waste agreement.

Els residus biodegradables reben una atenció especial en el marc legislatiu europeu actual (Revised Framework Directive 2008/98/CE) i en la seva transposició a Espanya a traves del Plan Nacional Integrado de Residuos 20082015 (PNIR), degut al significatiu impacte ambiental derivat quan aquestos residus no són tractats correctament i al seu potencial ús com recursos renovables mitjançant l’obtenció de compost i biogàs. Pel correcte tractament d’aquestos residus és imprescindible el desenvolupament d’instal·lacions i plantes de tractament eficaces i eficients. La correcta avaluació de l’efectivitat i eficiència d’aquestes instal·lacions requereix una mesura fidedigna del contingut de matèria orgànica biodegradable dels residus i per tant de la seva estabilitat. Aquesta mesura permetria: i) establir una classificació dels residus i productes en base a la seva biodegradabilitat i estabilitat; ii) la correcta avaluació de les plantes de tractament en funcionament; iii)el disseny de noves i optimitzades instal·lacions, i iv) la determinació del potencial impacte ambiental dels productes finals. La informació obtinguda mitjançant l’anàlisi de paràmetres purament físics o químics dels residus no es capaç de reflectir la naturalesa biològica dels residus. És molt extensa la bibliografia que descriu, proposa i avalua l’ús d’índexs biològics, aerobis i anaerobis, per caracteritzar els residus orgànics. De la mateixa manera, aquestos índexs, han estat proposats en diferents normatives de paises europeus com paràmetres d’estabilitat. En aquesta Tesis s’han desenvolupat noves metodologies per a la determinació d’índexs biològics aerobis i anaerobis, optimitzant les metodologies ja referenciades, eliminant les seves limitacions i ampliant la seva utilitat: índexs respiromètrics aerobis, expressats com velocitat de consum d’oxigen i consum acumulat durant un temps determinat i índexs anaerobis, expressats com producció acumulada de biogàs i metà durant un temps determinat o total. Aquestes metodologies s’han avaluat i verificat mitjançant les següents aplicacions: 1) Optimització del procés de compostatge de fangs procedents d’EDARs urbanes, determinant la relació d’estructurant‐fang mínima necessària per obtenir un producte final higienitzat i estabilitzat a escala industrial. 2) Completa avaluació d’una planta de tractament mecànic‐biològic (MBT) amb capacitat per tractar 240.000 tones/any de residus municipals, monitoratge del procés i determinació de les eficàcies d’eliminació de matèria orgànica en cada etapa. 3) Estudi específic del pretractament mecànic d’una MBT i la seva influencia en l’eliminació de matèria orgànica biodegradable. 4) Determinació de potencials totals de producció de biogàs mitjançant l’anàlisi d’índexs biològics anaerobis de curta durada. 5) Determinació de les correlacions entre indexs aerobis i anaerobis. Determinació de les correlacions entre els diferents indexs aerobis i discusió sobre la diferent informació que poden proporcionar. 6) Caracterització completa de residus basant‐se en la diferent informació proporcionada pels indexs respiromètrics aerobis. 7) Redacció d’un protocol estandarditzat per a la determinació de la biodegradabilitat de residus orgànics de diferent origen i tipologia per l’Agencia de Residus de Catalunya, basant‐se en la determinació d’índexs biològics aerobis. Els resultats obtinguts en tots aquestos treballs i estudis confirmen la idoneïtat de l’ús dels índexs biològics com mesura real del contingut de matèria orgànica biodegradable dels residus i per tant de la seva estabilitat. A més es poden considerar com un paràmetre clau pel disseny i control de plantes de tractament de residus.
Los residuos biodegradables reciben una atención especial en el marco legislativo europeo actual (Revised Framework Directive 2008/98/CE) y en su transposición en España a través del Plan Nacional Integrado de Residuos 20082015 (PNIR), debido al significativo impacto ambiental derivado cuando no son tratados correctamente y a su potencial uso como recursos renovables mediante la obtención de compost y biogás. Para ello, es imprescindible el desarrollo de instalaciones y plantas de tratamiento eficaces y eficientes. La correcta evaluación de la efectividad y eficiencia de estas instalaciones requiere una medida fidedigna del contenido de materia orgánica biodegradable de los residuos y por consiguiente de su estabilidad. Esta medida permitiría: i) establecer una clasificación de residuos y productos en base a su biodegradabilidad y a su estabilidad; ii) la correcta evaluación de las plantas en funcionamiento; iii) el diseño de nuevas y optimizadas instalaciones; y iv) la determinación del potencial de impacto ambiental de los productos finales. La información obtenida mediante el análisis de parámetros puramente físicos o químicos de los residuos no es capaz de reflejar la naturaleza biológica de los residuos. Es muy amplia la bibliografía que describe, propone y evalúa el uso de índices biológicos, aerobios y anaerobios, para caracterizar los residuos orgánicos. Asimismo, éstos índices han sido propuestos en diferentes normativas de países europeos. En esta Tesis se han desarrollado nuevas metodologías para la determinación de índices biológicos aerobios y anaerobios, optimizando las metodologías ya referenciadas, eliminando sus limitaciones y ampliando su utilidad: índices respirómetricos aerobios, expresados como velocidad de consumo de oxígeno y su consumo acumulado durante un tiempo determinado e índices anaerobios expresados como producción acumulada de biogás y metano durante un tiempo determinado o total. Estas metodologías se han evaluado y verificado mediante las siguientes aplicaciones: 1) Optimización del proceso de compostaje de lodos procedentes de EDARs urbanas, determinando la relación de estructurante‐lodo mínima necesaria para obtener un producto final higienizado y estabilizado a escala industrial. 2) Completa evaluación de una planta de tratamiento mecánico‐biológico (MBT) con capacidad para tratar 240.000 toneladas/año de residuos municipales, monitorización del proceso y determinación de las eficacias de eliminación de materia orgánica en cada etapa. 3) Estudio específico del pretratamiento mecánico de una MBT y su influencia en la eliminación de materia orgánica biodegradable. 4) Determinación de potenciales totales de producción de biogás mediante el análisis de índices biológicos anaerobios de corta duración. 5) Determinación de correlaciones entre índices aerobios y anaerobios. Determinación de correlaciones entre diferentes índices aerobios y discusión sobre la diferente información que proporcionan. 6) Caracterización completa de residuos basándose en la diferente información proporcionada por los índices respirométricos aerobios. 7) Redacción de un protocolo estandarizado para la determinación de la biodegradabilidad de residuos orgánicos de diferente origen y tipología para la Agència de Residus de Catalunya basándose en la determinación de índices biológicos aerobios. Los resultados obtenidos en todos estos trabajos confirman la idoneidad del uso de índices biológicos como medida real del contenido de materia orgánica biodegradable de los residuos y por lo tanto de su estabilidad. Además pueden considerarse como un parámetro clave para el diseño y control en plantas de tratamiento de residuos.
Biodegradable waste receives especial attention in the European Legislation (Revised Framework Directive 2008/98/CE) and this has been also reflected in Spanish Legislation in the Plan Nacional Integrado de Residuos 20082015 (PNIR), due to the high importance that this municipal solid waste fraction has on the waste treatment environmental impact when it is not treated correctly and the possibility of recycling the biodegradable waste, to finally obtain compost or/and biogas that means green energy. For this purpose is necessary to develop suitable facilities for all waste treatments and assure the correct and efficient operation of such treatment and management facilities or plants. The correct determination of process efficiency in these facilities requires a reliable measure of the biodegradable organic matter content of the wastes and their stability. This measure would allow: i) to establish a waste classification based on the biodegradability and stability; ii) the correct evaluation of plant and facilities performance; iii) the design of new and optimum facilities and waste treatments; and iv) to determinate the environmental impact of the final products of these facilities. The information given by the analysis carried out just considering physical and chemical parameters is not able to reflect the correct biological nature of the wastes. It is really considerable the bibliographic references regarding the description, use and evaluation of biological indices, both aerobic and anaerobic, to characterize organic wastes. Additionally, these indices have already been proposed in some European countries’ Legislations. In this Thesis, new methodologies have been developed to determine aerobic and anaerobic biological indices, trying to optimize the already published methodologies by detecting their weaknesses, proposing improvements and increasing their utility. The indices obtained using these methodologies are: aerobic respirometric indices, expressed as the oxygen consumption rate and cumulative oxygen consumption during a given time and anaerobic indices, expressed as cumulative biogas and methane production during a given time or total biogas or methane production. These methodologies have been assessed, evaluated and verified in different facilities, different treatments and in several works with different aims: 1) Optimization of the composting process of dewatered wastewater sludge, determining the minimum ratio of pruning waste used as bulking agent to obtain a hygienized and stabilized product in full scale facilities. 2) Complete assessment of a mechanical‐biological treatment (MBT) plant treating 240.000 tones each year of municipal solid wastes. Process monitoring an determination of process efficiency regarding organic matter biodegradation. 3) Specific study of the mechanical pretreatment in a MBT plant and how it affects to the biodegradable organic matter removal. 4) Determination of the biogas production potential using anaerobic biological indices, measured in a short experimental time. 5) To obtain correlations between aerobic and anaerobic indices. Additionally, to correlate aerobic indices among them and analyzing the different information that they provide. 6) Using the information provided by aerobic respiration indices to completely characterized organic wastes. 7) Establishment of a standardized protocol to determine the biodegradability of organic wastes, from different origin and nature using aerobic biological indices to Agència de Residus de Catalunya. The results obtained in all works and studies confirm the suitability of biological indices to be measure the biodegradable organic matter content and stability of solid wastes. Additionally, these indices can be considered as key parameters to design and control waste treatment facilities and processes.

La implantació de Sistemes de Suport a la presa de Decisions (SSD) en Estacions Depuradores d'Aigües Residuals Urbanes (EDAR) facilita l'aplicació de tècniques més eficients basades en el coneixement per a la gestió del procés, assegurant la qualitat de l'aigua de sortida tot minimitzant el cost ambiental de la seva explotació. Els sistemes basats en el coneixement es caracteritzen per la seva capacitat de treballar amb dominis molt poc estructurats, i gran part de la informació rellevant de tipus qualitatiu i/o incerta. Precisament aquests són els trets característics que es poden trobar en els sistemes biològics de depuració, i en conseqüència en una EDAR. No obstant, l'elevada complexitat dels SSD fa molt costós el seu disseny, desenvolupament i aplicació en planta real, pel que resulta determinant la generació d'un protocol que faciliti la seva exportació a EDARs de tecnologia similar.
L'objectiu del present treball de Tesi és precisament el desenvolupament d'un protocol que faciliti l'exportació sistemàtica de SSD i l'aprofitament del coneixement del procés prèviament adquirit. El treball es desenvolupa en base al cas d'estudi resultant de l'exportació a l'EDAR Montornès del prototipus original de SSD implementat a l'EDAR Granollers. Aquest SSD integra dos tipus de sistemes basats en el coneixement, concretament els sistemes basats en regles (els quals són programes informàtics que emulen el raonament humà i la seva capacitat de solucionar problemes utilitzant les mateixes fonts d'informació) i els sistemes de raonament basats en casos (els quals són programes informàtics basats en el coneixement que volen solucionar les situacions anormals que pateix la planta en el moment actual mitjançant el record de l'acció efectuada en una situació passada similar).
El treball està estructurat en diferents capítols, en el primer dels quals, el lector s'introdueix en el món dels sistemes de suport a la decisió i en el domini de la depuració d'aigües. Seguidament es fixen els objectius i es descriuen els materials i mètodes utilitzats. A continuació es presenta el prototipus de SSD desenvolupat per la EDAR Granollers. Una vegada el prototipus ha estat presentat es descriu el primer protocol plantejat pel mateix autor de la Tesi en el seu Treball de Recerca. A continuació es presenten els resultats obtinguts en l'aplicació pràctica del protocol per generar un nou SSD, per una planta depuradora diferent, partint del prototipus. L'aplicació pràctica del protocol permet l'evolució del mateix cap a un millor pla d'exportació.
Finalment, es pot concloure que el nou protocol redueix el temps necessari per realitzar el procés d'exportació, tot i que el nombre de passos necessaris ha augmentat, la qual cosa significa que el nou protocol és més sistemàtic.
The decision support systems (DSS) implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) make easier the application of better techniques based on the knowledge to manage the process, insuring the effluent quality and minimising the economical costs of its exploitation. The knowledge-based systems are characterised by its capability of working in ill structured domains, and with relevant information of type qualitative or uncertain. These are the characteristics that could be found in the biological systems treatments, and consequently in a wastewater treatment plant. However, the high complexity of the DSS makes very expensive their design, development and the application in a real WWTP, and because this reason it is very important the generation of a protocol that makes easier the exportation of the program to other similar plants.
The objective of the present document is the development of a protocol that makes easier the systematic exportation of DSS and the reuse of the process knowledge acquired previously. The document is developed in basis on the study case from the DSS exportation from the Granollers WWTP to Montornès WWTP. This knowledge-based system integrates two kinds of systems based on knowledge, concretely the rule-based systems (which are programs that simulate the human reasoning and its capability of problem solving using the same information sources) and the case-based reasoning systems (which are informatic programs based on knowledge that solve the current abnormal situations in the plant by means of retrieving the executed action in a similar past situation).
The document is structured in different chapters, in the first chapter; the lector is introduced in the DSS domain and in the wastewater treatment domain. Afterwards the objectives are defined and the materials and methods used are explained. Following, the Granollers DSS prototype is presented. Once, the prototype is explained, the first protocol made by the author in his research work is presented. Afterwards, the results obtained from the protocol application to export the DSS to other plant are presented. The real application of the protocol allows making better itself.
In conclusion, the new protocol reduces the needed time to make the exportation process, although the new protocol needs more steps to make the same work, this means that it is more systematic.