Fine-Tuning the Aeration Control for Energy-Efficient Operation in a Small Sewage Treatment Plant by Applying Biokinetic Modeling

Wastewater treatment is an energy-intensive process for treating liquid-phase pollutants in urban settlements. The aerobic processes of the biological treatment involve a significant air demand. An optimal control strategy could be used to minimize the amount of excess air entering the system due to safety factors applied in the design procedures. A plant-wide mechanistic modeling approach including an activated sludge model and one-dimensional settler model was proposed as an effective tool for predicting the actual air demand and for selecting the optimal aeration strategy. In this study, a sewage treatment plant receiving strong influent flow was investigated. At the sludge ages of 14–18 days, the plant was capable of achieving a 90% organic matter reduction and 85% nutrient reduction. By applying a constant dissolved oxygen concentration of 1.5 mg/L, the air demand decreased by 25%, which could be further increased by 10% if the cascade ammonium control approach was applied at peak periods. The dependence of the aeration energy demand on the temperature and dissolved oxygen was formulated, meaning the operators could select the optimal setpoint and minimize the energy consumption while the effluent quality requirements were met.