TY - JOUR
T1 - Dynamic model validation and advanced polymer control for rotating belt filtration as primary treatment of domestic wastewaters
AU - Boiocchi, Riccardo
AU - Behera, Chitta Ranjan
AU - Sherratt, Anthony
AU - DeGroot, Christopher T.
AU - Gernaey, Krist V.
AU - Sin, Gürkan
AU - Santoro, Domenico
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Rotating belt filters are a primary treatment technology currently used in municipal wastewater treatment plants as a high-rate alternative to primary clarifiers. Such systems are reported to efficiently remove particulates in the form of total suspended solids, achieving the highest removal efficiencies (>60%) when polymer is added as pre-treatment step. In this paper, a new dynamic model describing the RBF performance is presented. The model includes the dynamic effects of influent flow rate and TSS concentration and can also describe the effects of polymer dosing on RBF performance. The validated model was used to perform a plant-wide impact assessment using the Benchmark Simulation Model n.2. For a TSS removal efficiency that is identical to primary clarifiers (50%), rotating belt filters were found to only slightly decrease the aeration energy demand in the activated sludge unit (-0.5%), while increasing methane production and slightly increasing effluent TN concentrations (+1.5% and +1.9%, respectively). Furthermore, considerable savings in polymer costs could be attained using an advanced control strategy for polymer dosing, successfully tested in this work.
AB - Rotating belt filters are a primary treatment technology currently used in municipal wastewater treatment plants as a high-rate alternative to primary clarifiers. Such systems are reported to efficiently remove particulates in the form of total suspended solids, achieving the highest removal efficiencies (>60%) when polymer is added as pre-treatment step. In this paper, a new dynamic model describing the RBF performance is presented. The model includes the dynamic effects of influent flow rate and TSS concentration and can also describe the effects of polymer dosing on RBF performance. The validated model was used to perform a plant-wide impact assessment using the Benchmark Simulation Model n.2. For a TSS removal efficiency that is identical to primary clarifiers (50%), rotating belt filters were found to only slightly decrease the aeration energy demand in the activated sludge unit (-0.5%), while increasing methane production and slightly increasing effluent TN concentrations (+1.5% and +1.9%, respectively). Furthermore, considerable savings in polymer costs could be attained using an advanced control strategy for polymer dosing, successfully tested in this work.
KW - Wastewater
KW - Rotating belt filters
KW - Primary treatment
KW - Plant-wide assessment
KW - Benchmark
KW - Model validation
U2 - 10.1016/j.ces.2020.115510
DO - 10.1016/j.ces.2020.115510
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0009-2509
VL - 217
JO - Chemical Engineering Science
JF - Chemical Engineering Science
M1 - 115510
ER -