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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Wetlands and Aquatic Processes

Improvement of Sand Filter and Constructed Wetland Design using an Environmental Decision Support System

^a Lab. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Catalonia
^b Soil Science Lab., Faculty of Pharmacy, Univ. of Barcelona, Joan XXIII, s/n. 08028 Barcelona, Spain
^c Cemagref, Research Unit: Water Quality and Pollution Prevention, 3bis quai Chauveau, 69336 Lyon Cedex 09, France

^* Corresponding author (claudia{at}lequia.udg.es).

Received for publication August 7, 2007. With the aim of improving effluent quality of waste stabilization ponds, different designs of vertical flow constructed wetlands and intermittent sand filters were tested on an experimental full-scale plant within the framework of a European project. The information extracted from this study was completed and updated with heuristic and bibliographic knowledge. The data and knowledge acquired were difficult to integrate into mathematical models because they involve qualitative information and expert reasoning. Therefore, it was decided to develop an environmental decision support system (EDSS-Filter-Design) as a tool to integrate mathematical models and knowledge-based techniques. This paper describes the development of this support tool, emphasizing the collection of data and knowledge and representation of this information by means of mathematical equations and a rule-based system. The developed support tool provides the main design characteristics of filters: (i) required surface, (ii) media type, and (iii) media depth. These design recommendations are based on wastewater characteristics, applied load, and required treatment level data provided by the user. The results of the EDSS-Filter-Design provide appropriate and useful information and guidelines on how to design filters, according to the expert criteria. The encapsulation of the information into a decision support system reduces the design period and provides a feasible, reasoned, and positively evaluated proposal.

Abbreviations: COD, concentration of organic matter • EDSS, environmental decision support system • FC, fecal coliforms • ISF, intermittent sand filter • PE, population equivalent • TKN, total Kjeldahl nitrogen • VFCW, vertical flow constructed wetland • WSP, waste stabilization pond • WWTP, wastewater treatment plant