Prediction of Organic Micropollutant Removal in Soil Aquifer Treatment System Using GEP
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 9
Abstract
With constrained Nile water and the cruel drop in per capita freshwater share in Egypt, soil aquifer treatment (SAT) appears an attractive, low-cost, unconventional water resource that is environmentally friendly and relatively easy to operate. Nevertheless, organic micropollutants (OMPs) in treated wastewater pose environmental and health risks if not properly attenuated through vadose zone infiltration. Thus, determination of OMP removal in a SAT system is important for sustainable groundwater management. In this study, a new, simple equation for the prediction of organic micropollutant removal in SAT systems was developed using gene expression programming (GEP). A wide range of 15 OMPs and aquifer conditions were examined along with various real operational aspects of SAT systems, including hydraulic loading rate and dry/wet ratio. The effect of spatial heterogeneity on saturated hydraulic conductivity was considered. Developed GEP models had an average coefficient of determination of 0.92. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) with 50,000 realizations was used to propagate uncertainty in SAT parameters in order to generate stochastic inputs for the GEP model. It was found that the removal of OMPs in SAT systems is mostly affected by biodegradation rate and soil-saturated hydraulic conductivity, in addition to dry/wet ratio. Finally,the developed GEP models were applied to enhance the criteria for selecting potential sites for SAT systems in Egypt considering OMP. It was shown that a SAT system would perform well at three sites, with a OMP removal efficiency reaching 100%, whereas it would have a removal of only 50% in the other two sites. Uncertainties in predictions were quantified with an average value of 35%. The developed GEP models can serve as basis for preliminary SAT site selection and design, and can substitute for complex commercial modeling software, especially for practitioners and decision makers in feasibility studies. However, for SAT implementation in a selected location, results can be confirmed only through field column tests.
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Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 9 • September 2016
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© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 24, 2015
Accepted: Dec 29, 2015
Published online: Apr 8, 2016
Published in print: Sep 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Sep 8, 2016
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