THE EFFECTS OF OPTIMIZING A SIMULATED WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT ON EFFLUENT QUALITY

Wastewater treatment plants with activated sludge behave like a filter to protect the aquatic environment and also the health of those who use and consume the water. These treatment plants are used to remove nutrients from wastewater, such as nitrogen, that can have a great impact on the evolution of the aquatic ecosystem if we consider the eutrophication process that is intensified worldwide due to agriculture and other industrial activities. In this study, a wastewater treatment plant model called Benchmark Simulation Model No.2 (BSM2) was used to regulate ammonium and nitrate concentrations by implementing a control strategy. The strategy optimization was performed by applying the relaxation method. The reference data considered are the results of the simulation with the BSM2's base control strategy in a closed loop. Also, the data obtained in the first attempt of optimizing the treatment plant were considered. This study aims to identify if the optimization of the simulated wastewater treatment plant can improve the effluent quality thus reducing the risk of aquatic environment pollution with nutrients.