Feedforward-feedback control of dissolved oxygen concentration in a predenitrification system

As the largest single energy-consuming component in most biological wastewater treatment systems, aeration control is of great interest from the point of view of saving energy and improving wastewater treatment plant efficiency. In this paper, three different strategies, including conventional constant dissolved oxygen (DO) set-point control, cascade DO set-point control, and feedforward-feedback DO set-point control were evaluated using the denitrification layout of the IWA simulation benchmark. Simulation studies showed that the feedforward-feedback DO set-point control strategy was better than the other control strategies at meeting the effluent standards and reducing operational costs. The control strategy works primarily by feedforward control based on an ammonium sensor located at the head of the aerobic process. It has an important advantage over effluent measurements in that there is no (or only a very short) time delay for information; feedforward control was combined with slow feedback control to compensate for model approximations. The feedforward-feedback DO control was implemented in a lab-scale wastewater treatment plant for a period of 60 days. Compared to operation with constant DO concentration, the required airflow could be reduced by up to 8–15% by employing the feedforward-feedback DO-control strategy, and the effluent ammonia concentration could be reduced by up to 15–25%. This control strategy can be expected to be accepted by the operating personnel in wastewater treatment plants.