High-gain observers for estimation of kinetics in biological sequencing batch reactors

This paper deals with the problem of on-line estimation of kinetic rates inside biological sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Two wastewater treatment bioprocesses that are carried out inside SBRs are taken into consideration. These biotechnological processes are highly nonlinear and, furthermore, the available on-line measurements are lack and the reaction kinetics is not perfectly known. The unknown kinetic parameters are estimated by using nonlinear observers, based on high-gain approach. The estimation scheme does not require any model for the kinetic rates. The tuning of the proposed observers is reduced to the calibration of a single parameter. Numerical simulations are included in order to test the behaviour and the performance of the proposed observers.