SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON DEMONSTRATED A 36% INCREASE OF NITROGEN REMOVAL AND 19% REDUCTION OF AERATION REQUIREMENTS USING A FEED FORWARD ONLINE OPTIMIZATION SYSTEM

As operational and capital budgets for wastewater treatment shrink and effluent limitations become more stringent, it is very important to reduce the energy consumption of aeration systems and improve treated water quality. The Bioprocess Intelligent Optimization System (BIOS) has been designed to optimize the operation of a Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) treatment process. BIOS is a feed forward optimization system. It conducts simulation calculations based upon online measurement of ammonia, nitrate, influent wastewater flow rate, etc, and laboratory results for mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS). BIOS continuously provides optimal dissolved oxygen (DO) setpoints according to the load entering the bioreactor. The internal recirculation (IRQ) from the aerobic zone to the upstream anoxic zone is also optimized in order to achieve the best total nitrogen removal. BIOS is being used at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Enfield Connecticut, USA, resulting in a 36% increase in nitrogen removal and a 19% decrease in aeration requirements.