Modelling Bioaccumulation of Metals to Toxic Levels in an Industrial Activated Sludge System

Dynamic modeling has been a useful tool for investigating the relationship between plant operation and plant performance for many years, but has focused primarily on municipal wastewater. This paper outlines modifications for adapting accepted municipal wastewater modeling approaches for industrial wastewater treatment. The "Mantis" biological model in the GPS-X wastewater treatment simulation package is modified to include metal uptake and toxic inhibition. The model is calibrated for copper uptake using plant data from a plant in southern Ontario, Canada. Several hypothetical simulation scenarios are investigated to illustrate how the model can be used to help plant operators deal with the toxic effects of metals in the influent stream.