Author(s)

Carlos Joel Ábrego-Góngora¹, Roberto Briones-Gallardo^1,2*, Luis Armando Bernal-Jácome^1,3, Antoni Escalas-Cañellas^4,5*

¹Programa Multidisciplinario de Posgrado en Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
²Instituto de Metalurgia-Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
³Centro de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México.
⁴Department of Chemical Engineering & Terrassa School of Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Spain.
⁵Laboratory of Control of Environmental Contamination, Institute of Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation of Terrassa (INTEXTER), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Spain.

In this research, three existing dynamic mathematical models for aerated lagoons were applied to an aerated facultative lagoon (AFL) plant for municipal wastewater treatment. The models’ ability to describe the behavior of the primary lagoon was evaluated, and the advantages and limitations of the three models were compared. For this purpose, 7-year operational data from the municipal WWTP were collected and processed; other necessary data—like dynamic temperature values— were estimated. A 2-year period was used for model calibration, while the remaining 5 years served as validation period. One of the models showed poor calibration fit values in the effluent concentration description (R² of 0.242 and RMSE of 16.8 mg/L); however, with some modifications the adjust was enhanced (R² of 0.409 and RMSE of 14.0 mg/L); a second model displayed a poor to moderate adjust (0.489 and 13.0 mg/L, respectively), and the third model achieved a moderate fit (0.528 and 11.9 mg/L), though it provided an overestimation of effluent concentration, especially in periods of heavy and frequent rain; this model with some adaptations the adjust was enhanced (R² of 0.575 and RMSE of 11.4 mg/L). The validation fits are even lower, illustrating the inability of these models to properly describe the AFL behavior. The possible causes of the models’ inadequacy are discussed. Finally, it is established that in terms of AFL behavior description more research and model development are needed.

Aerated Facultative Lagoons, Oxygen Demand, Mathematical Modeling

Ábrego-Góngora, C. , Briones-Gallardo, R. , Bernal-Jácome, L. and Escalas-Cañellas, A. (2015) Evaluation of Three Dynamic Models for Aerated Facultative Lagoons. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 7, 1131-1142. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2015.714093.