Visita a la planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales de Atotonilco de Tula, Hidalgo

María del Refugio González Sandoval; Liliana Lizárraga Mendiola; Yamile Rangel Martínez

doi:10.29057/icbi.v2i3.534

María del Refugio González Sandoval Universidad Autónoma de México
Liliana Lizárraga Mendiola Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo
Yamile Rangel Martínez Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29057/icbi.v2i3.534

Keywords: Municipal wastewater, water reuse, activated sludge process, cogeneration of energy

Abstract

In October 2013, the civil engineering students of fifth semester-group 1 visited the wastewater treatment plant of Atotonilco de Tula, Hidalgo, as part of the curricular activities of their Introduction to Environmental Engineering course. This plant will start operating in 2015 and will treat 23 m³/s of wastewater coming from the Valley of Mexico, and up to 35 m³/s during the rainy season. The treatment stages include a physical pretreatment, followed by an activated sludge-based secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection. For the rainy season, a physicochemical treatment will be applied to cover the whole water flow. The treated water will be still used for irrigation and the waste sludge will be treated in anaerobic digesters to produce methane and generate electricity, making the system sustainable. These works are of great importance since they will improve the sanitation conditions of up to 700,000 people in Hidalgo, besides higher value crops will be obtained, while the health risks for consumers will be minimized.