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Skidmore College

Publication Date

Fall 2021

Program Name

Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice

Abstract

Wastewater treatment is a critical process by which the concentration of pollutants in wastewater are reduced to minimize the resulting effluent’s impact on human health and the environment. Base Aérea N.°5, an airbase located in Monte Real, Portugal, is striving to enhance their wastewater treatment methods to decrease the impact of the treated effluent on the environment. They can reduce the effluent’s impact by implementing more advanced wastewater treatment to decrease the concentration of micropollutants and pathogens in the effluent, and they can reuse the treated effluent to decrease the volume of freshwater they extract. This work seeks to evaluate the current wastewater treatment methods used at Base Aérea N.°5 and determine how advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse can be implemented. An evaluation of current wastewater treatment methods revealed that the overall effectiveness of nutrient removal is low due to the oversized nature of the treatment plant, the treatment plant’s age, and the composition of the wastewater. Chlorination is the most financially feasible tertiary treatment method that would allow the effluent to be reused for several non-potable purposes. The ability to reuse treated wastewater would decrease the annual total cost of water extraction, offsetting the cost of implementing chlorination.

Disciplines

Environmental Engineering | Environmental Health and Protection | European Languages and Societies | Infrastructure | Water Resource Management

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