Simulation and Analysis of Ammonium-Based Aeration Control Strategies to Enhance Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment Plant

This research adopts ammonium-based control strategies in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) using a fuzzy control approach. The main objective is to regulate the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the last aeration tank and the nitrate concentration in the second anoxic tank. To achieve this, two fuzzy controllers, namely the “fuzzy DO” controller and the “fuzzy nitrate” controller, are employed. These controllers take the ammonia content in the last aeration tank as input and generate setpoints for the corresponding lower Proportional Integral (PI) controllers responsible for DO and nitrate control. The fuzzy DO controller plays a crucial role in maintaining the desired oxygen level within the wastewater treatment process by calculating suitable setpoints for the PI controller, thereby optimizing oxygen transfer within the tank. Similarly, the fuzzy nitrate controller dynamically adjusts the setpoint for the nitrate PI controller to ensure effective regulation of nitrate concentration. In addition, a separate PI controller is designed specifically for DO control in the fourth aeration tank, enhancing overall aeration control efficiency. The proposed control strategy was evaluated using Benchmark Simulation Model 1 (BSM1) to assess its effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes. Notable achievements include a remarkable 9.36% reduction in aeration energy consumption and a commendable 5.35% decrease in the violation of nitrogen concentration in the effluent. Although there is a slight increase of 0.6% in ammonia concentration violations, it remains well within acceptable limits. These results show that the suggested control strategy can increase the performance and efficiency of wastewater treatment plants.