Critical barriers to safe and secure drinking water may include sources (e.g. groundwater contamination), treatments (e.g. treatment plants not properly operating) and/or contamination within the distribution system (infrastructure not properly maintained). The performance assessment of these systems, based on monitoring, process parameter control and experimental tests, is a viable tool for the process optimization and water quality control. The aim of this study was to define a procedure for evaluating the performance of full-scale drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and for defining optimal solutions for plant upgrading in order to optimize operation. The protocol is composed of four main phases (routine and intensive monitoring programmes – Phases 1 and 2; experimental studies – Phase 3; plant upgrade and optimization – Phase 4). The protocol suggested in this study was tested in a full-scale DWTP placed in the North of Italy (Mortara, Pavia). The results outline some critical aspects of the plant operation and permit the identification of feasible solutions for the DWTP upgrading in order to optimize water treatment operation.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
December 17 2014
Methodological approach for the optimization of drinking water treatment plants' operation: a case study
Sabrina Sorlini;
Sabrina Sorlini
1Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture, Land and Environment, University of Brescia, Via Branze 43, Brescia 25123, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Maria Cristina Collivignarelli;
Maria Cristina Collivignarelli
2Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, Pavia 27100, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Federico Castagnola;
2Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, Pavia 27100, Italy
E-mail: federico.castagnola@unipv.it
Search for other works by this author on:
Barbara Marianna Crotti;
Barbara Marianna Crotti
3ASMare srl, Via Tiziano Vecellio 540, Mortara 27036, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Massimo Raboni
Massimo Raboni
4Department of Chemistry, Material and Chemical Engineering ‘Giulio Natta’, Politecnico di Milano, Via L. Mancinelli 7, Milano 20131, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Water Sci Technol (2015) 71 (4): 597–604.
Article history
Received:
July 30 2014
Accepted:
November 26 2014
Citation
Sabrina Sorlini, Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Federico Castagnola, Barbara Marianna Crotti, Massimo Raboni; Methodological approach for the optimization of drinking water treatment plants' operation: a case study. Water Sci Technol 1 February 2015; 71 (4): 597–604. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2014.503
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Impact Factor 1.915
CiteScore 3.3 • Q2
13 days submission to first
decision
1,439,880 downloads in 2021