Methodology for Energy Optimization in Wastewater Treatment Plants. Phase I: Control of the Best Operating Conditions

Ana Belén Lozano Avilés, Francisco del Cerro Velázquez and Mercedes Llorens Pascual del Riquelme
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Ana Belén Lozano Avilés: Water Department, VECTORIS, S.L., 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
Francisco del Cerro Velázquez: Department of Electromagnetism and Electronics. Faculty of Chemistry, Campus of Espinardo, 5, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
Mercedes Llorens Pascual del Riquelme: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, Campus of Espinardo, 5, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 14, 1-27

Abstract: Most purification systems work correctly from the point of view of water quality; purification, like any industrial process, must also be carried out efficiently with a minimization of costs. The overall project examined the potential benefits of using a recommended methodology for process evaluation and energy optimization in the aeration stage of activated sludge in the biological reactor at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), which accounts for more than 44% of total operating costs. This energy control methodology encompasses the process, the installation and the control system. These three phases are examined in separate articles to make it easier to guide the user in the arduous task of optimizing energy efficiency of the WWTP from start to finish. This article focuses on Phase I of the methodology, the stage in charge of selecting the correct variables to control the best process conditions in the activated sludge system of the WWTP. Operating conditions that are a function of the recommended sludge age are influenced by exogenous factors such as temperature. The implementation of a real-time control system of the selected process variables, adapted to the needs, achieves reductions in the overall energy consumption of the installation, in this phase alone, of more than 15%, by reducing the oxygen requirements of the system and the recirculation ratios.

Keywords: WWTP; activated sludge; energy optimization; energy consumption; operating conditions; control system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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