Predictive modelling for sustainable urban wastewater management using hydroponic vetiver system

Abstract

Research Problem newlineUrban wastewater management is an ever-increasing problem owing to rapid urbanization, newlineespecially in developing countries. The conventional approach involving cost-intensive newlinecentralized electro-mechanical wastewater management systems cannot keep pace with the newlinedemand and the backlog. Urban water bodies are the final outfall for all treated and untreated newlineurban wastewater in the sanitation chain. Remediation and management of the water quality of newlinethe urban water bodies are crucial in achieving sustainable urban wastewater management. newlineExisting research has shown that, among many alternative methods being experimented with newlineworldwide, the hydroponic application of the Vetiver grass effectively remediates wastewater newlineby phytoremediation. This research aims to evaluate the urban wastewater remediation potential newlineof the Hydroponic Vetiver System (HVS). newlineMethod newlineBased on the literature review, qualitative and quantitative analysis was done to evaluate the newlineperformance of HVS. The scope of work was limited to assessing the remediation of the two newlinesignificant water quality parameters (WQP) of BOD and COD. The qualitative sustainability of newlinethe HVS compared to the centralized engineering wastewater systems was assessed against a newlineframework of sustainability indicators. The potential remediation performance of the HVS was newlineevaluated statistically based on the influence of the significant variables in static flow water newlineconditions. Then, the variations in HVS performance were mathematically deduced for flowing newlinewater conditions, as in real-life scenarios. Thus, a composite predictive model was formulated newlineto quantitatively evaluate the HVS performance for both static and flowing urban water bodies. newlineKey Results newlineComparative analysis against the sustainability indicators revealed that the HVS is less newlineinfrastructure-intensive but more cost-efficient and energy-efficient than centralized engineering newlinewastewater systems. Quantitative statistical modelling of the responses demonstrated a newlinesignificant pattern that can predict the p