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Published on: March 6, 2017
Population mobility and urban wastewater dynamics.
Chrystelle N H Atinkpahoun1, Nang Dinh Le2, Steve Pontvianne3
1Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés (UMR 7274 CNRS), Université de Lorraine, 1, rue Grandville, BP 20451, 54001 Nancy Cedex, France; Unité de Recherche en Ecotoxicologie et Etude de Qualité/Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche en Chimie Appliquée/Université d'Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 2009, Cotonou, Benin.
Realistic wastewater influent models require accurate population data. Census information reveals daily population fluctuations impacting wastewater flow and pollution, crucial for effective treatment plant strategies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Urban Hydrology
- Wastewater Treatment
Background:
- Dynamic influent models are essential for testing control strategies in virtual wastewater treatment plants.
- Model realism is significantly influenced by the number of inhabitants and their daily activities within a catchment.
- Accurate influent modeling requires understanding temporal variations in urban populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of daily population variations on urban wastewater characteristics.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of census data in improving the realism of dynamic influent models.
- To correlate population dynamics with wastewater flow rate and pollutant loads.
Main Methods:
- Utilized census data on work and school commutes to estimate real-time urban population.
- Analyzed wastewater flow rate and pollutant concentrations (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals) in a large urban catchment (Grand Nancy, France).
- Correlated population fluctuations with observed variations in wastewater characteristics.
Main Results:
- Observed a potential population increase of up to 30% during working hours due to commuter imbalance.
- Identified daily activity patterns correlating with peaks in wastewater flow and pollutant loads.
- Noted a reduction in wastewater flow and pollution (up to 10% on Sundays) during weekends.
- Found no consistent patterns for pH and conductivity variations.
Conclusions:
- Census data is an efficient tool for understanding daily urban wastewater patterns.
- Incorporating dynamic population data significantly enhances the realism of influent models.
- Understanding population dynamics is key to explaining variations in wastewater characteristics and optimizing treatment strategies.
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