Reports Outline Environmental Management Research from M. Garrido-Baserba and Colleagues

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Ecology, Environment & Conservation -- Fresh data on Environmental Management are presented in a new report. According to news reporting out of Girona, Spain, by VerticalNews editors, research stated, "In light of rapid global change, the demand for wastewater treatment is increasing rapidly and will continue to do so in the near future. Wastewater management is a complex puzzle for which the proper pieces must be combined to achieve the desired solution, requiring the simultaneous consideration of technical, economic, social and environmental issues."

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research, "In this context, a knowledge-based methodology (KBM) for the conceptual design of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) process flow diagrams (PFDs) and its application for two scenarios is presented in this paper. The core of the KBM is composed of two knowledge bases (KBs). The first, a specification knowledge base (S-KB), summarizes the main features of the different treatment technologies: pollutants removal efficiency, operational costs and technical reliability. The second, a compatibility knowledge base (C-KB), contains information about the different interactions amongst the treatment technologies and determines their degree of compatibility. The proposed methodology is based on a decision hierarchy that uses the information contained in both KBs to generate all possible WWTP configurations, screening and selecting appropriate configurations based on user-specified requirements and scenario characteristics."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "The design of the most adequate treatment train for small and medium sized wastewater treatment plants (2000 and 50,000 p.e. respectively) according to different restrictions (space constraints, operation simplicity and cost optimization) was the example in order to show the usefulness of the KBM."

For more information on this research see: Implementation of a knowledge-based methodology in a decision support system for the design of suitable wastewater treatment process flow diagrams. Journal of Environmental Management, 2012;112():384-91. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of Environmental Management - www.elsevier.com/wps/product/cws_home/622871)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting M. Garrido-Baserba, ICRA - Catalan Institute for Water Research, Scientific and Technological Park, H2O Building, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain.

Keywords for this news article include: Spain, Girona, Europe, Environmental Management.

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