Optimization of Potable Water Treatment Technologies: Recycling of Alum Sludge & Use of Artificial Neural Network Models for Coagulant Dose Control

Water Treatment Plants can be considered as the industries producing potable water & the sludge generated after coagulation-flocculation process is a type of waste effluent which is generally discharged into surface water without proper treatment causing Water Pollution. Aluminium salts are extensively used as a coagulant in water treatment plants and can cause adverse effects on living organisms in high concentration.Cumulative effect of Aluminium can cause Dementia, Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Disease etc. High Aluminum concentration not only affects the fishes, but also cause structural and functional problems in birds and animals that consume such contaminated organisms.The present research work emphasizes development of a green eco-friendly, clean and cost effective water treatment process to avoid the water pollution by non- judicious use of coagulant in Water Treatment Plants. It can be achieved by recovery and reuse of alum sludge by various methods or by effectively optimizing the coagulant dose using Artificial Neural Network model of the Water Treatment Plants.In the present work, reduction in the optimum alum dose by re-circulation of alum sludge has also been studied.