Robust control of an activated sludge wastewater treatment process

This paper presents the application of the Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) method to a wastewater treatment plant with activated sludge. The control strategy contains two control loops, with different dynamics, the controlled variables being the dissolved oxygen in the aerobic tank and the nitrate concentration in the effluent. The control strategy was validated on a ASM1 based wastewater treatment plant implemented in SIMBA® and considering a time-varying profile of the influent both in terms of the flow and the concentrations of wastewater compounds.