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Integrated Management of Non-conventional Water Resources in Anhydrous Islands

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Abstract

Anhydrous islands are dependent either on non-conventional water resources, such as desalinated seawater or reclaimed water from wastewater, or on water importation from the mainland. The latter option is often expensive and non-sustainable. Desalinated water can be used for potable and non-potable water applications, while reclaimed water can be used for non-potable water applications. Thus all water needs can be satisfied by an optimal blend of desalinated and reclaimed water. It is important to calculate the optimal capacities and locations of seawater desalination plants, wastewater treatment plants and water reclamation plants, and to estimate the water/wastewater conveyance system, in order to minimise water production and distribution costs. Mathematical modelling and optimisation techniques can be employed for calculating the optimum scenario: the satisfaction of all water needs at minimum cost. In this article, we have estimated the water demands taking into account water quality for the anhydrous Greek island of Syros, in the Aegean Sea. Syros has been subdivided into 6 regions, taking into account geographical and population distribution criteria. All water needs are to be satisfied by desalinated seawater and reclaimed water. A mixed-integer linear programming algorithm is used here to calculate the optimal scenario (location and capacities of desalination plants and wastewater treatment and water reclamation plants, as well as the desalinated water, reclaimed water and wastewater conveyance infrastructure needed) by minimising the annualised total cost including capital and operating costs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. George Vakondios, General Manager of the Water and Wastewater Enterprise of Ermoupolis, for his assistance on the estimation of water demand and wastewater production; and Mr. Nektarios Katsiris, Business Development & Exports Manager of Grundfos Hellas, for his assistance in water and wastewater pumping prising and calculations. S.L. is supported by Overseas Research Students Award Scheme, K.C. Wong Education Foundation, UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and Centre for Process Systems Engineering.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Process Systems Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK

    Songsong Liu & Lazaros G. Papageorgiou

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania Campus, Chania, 73100, Greece

    Petros Gikas

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  1. Songsong Liu
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  2. Lazaros G. Papageorgiou
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  3. Petros Gikas
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Correspondence to Petros Gikas.

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Liu, S., Papageorgiou, L.G. & Gikas, P. Integrated Management of Non-conventional Water Resources in Anhydrous Islands. Water Resour Manage 26, 359–375 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9921-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9921-z

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