WWTREAT - Waste Water Treatment Improvement and Efficiency in Small Communities

The project demonstrated a new perspective for wastewater treatment in small communities up to 35 000 inhabitants. It was based on the development and implementation of an integrated online monitoring system in three Portuguese WWTP, located in the area of Sintra. The aim was to achieve the best performance and reliability of treatment and equipment and, if applicable, to increase the emergency responses, avoiding pollution incidents. The project built a portable laboratory pilot plant, connected online to the full-scale WWTPs in Sintra. It records and controls all critical parameters of the process and equipment operation and generates alarms when abnormality occurs. The remote control and monitoring system allows the monitoring of important parameters of effluent wastewater and of the treated effluent. It also interacts (locally and remotely) with the WWTP components in order to change operational parameters. The implementation of the integrated online monitoring system reduces operation labour costs, optimises maintenance action and cuts maintenance costs.