AVT - Research - Research project

Wastewater treatment plants with integrated submerged membranes for the separation of particulate matter (membran bioreactors, MBR) are promising alternatives to conventional activated sludge plants. They combine increased water quality and process safety with decreased space requirements. However, they imply increased cost for energy and membrane replacement as compared to conventional process designs. It is the aim of this project to lower these cost by optimization based process control.

Within this research project, the plant was first divided into the process units „biology“ and „membrane filtration“. These were separately investigated and modeled. For both units, models of different complexity have been developed, which are used as components of the overall process model and within the optimization framework. The interaction between the biological wastewater treatment and the filtration unit was evaluated. With great success algorithms and concepts for the real-time optimization and model predictive control for both units have been developed and implemented.

Currently, the completed work is integrated into a concept for the model-based control of the entire plant. In order to cope with the different time-scales and the distributed process units, decomposition and decentralization strategies are employed. Another focus is the development of appropriate concepts for updating state and parameter information in the face of considerable uncertainty.

As a further result of the research project, an approach for the model-based control of membrane filtration processes has been developed, which is employed at an industrial pilot with great success. The practical implementations are pursued with great energy and are to be implemented in further applications, e.g. in the food and the life science industries.