A mathematical programming model for water usage and treatment network design

A mathematical programming model is proposed in this paper for determining the optimal water usage and treatment network (WUTN) in any chemical plant, which features the least amount of fresh water consumption and/or minimum wastewater treatment capacity. In particular, because design equations of all wastewater treatment facilities and all units which utilize either process or utility water are included in the model, more comprehensive integration on a plant-wide scale can be achieved. In comparison with the available technologies, the proposed method is more reliable, more accurate, and much faster in synthesizing the WUTNs. Furthermore, more cost-efficient alternatives may be identified in certain design cases.