Numerical examination of concentration-dependent wastewater sludge ejected into a drinking water source

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Resource Management
• Mathematical Modeling

Background:

• Pollutant fate in water systems poses significant global health risks.
• Wastewater treatment plant sludge can contaminate drinking water sources.
• Understanding contaminant transport is vital for ecological and human health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To mathematically analyze the fate of reactive wastewater sludge in drinking water sources.
• To model contaminant transport considering nonlinear sorption and power-law sludge behavior.
• To provide a validated numerical solution for predicting contaminant concentration and velocity.

Main Methods:

• Development of nonlinear momentum and concentration equations based on power-law sludge behavior.
• Application of a nonlinear irreversible first-order sorption model for contaminants.
• Numerical solution using the Bivariate Spectral Local Linearization Method.
• Validation of results with the spectral Chebyshev weighted residual method.

Main Results:

• Presents dimensionless flow velocity and concentration profiles.
• Demonstrates the impact of nonlinearities on contaminant distribution.
• Provides a validated computational framework for wastewater contaminant analysis.

Conclusions:

• The study offers a robust mathematical model for understanding wastewater sludge contaminant fate.
• The findings are applicable to improving drinking water safety and wastewater management strategies.
• Highlights the importance of considering nonlinear dynamics in environmental fluid flow.