A reference model for evaluating control strategies in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants
This paper presents a benchmark for a plant for biological treatment of wastewater, in order to evaluate, through simulations, different strategies of control. The benchmark represents the process of activated sludge in a configuration with pre-denitrification, for the treatment of domestic effluents, by removal of organic matter and nitrogen. It is based on models widely accepted by the international community and it is implemented in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The techniques of control here presented are typically used to control the process, such as: dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration-based control, respirometry-sbased control and nitrate concentration-based control, employing the classical proportional-integral (PI) controller.