Efficiency of the Activated Sludge Model no. 3 for German wastewater on six different WWTPs

In 1999, the Activated Sludge Model No. 3 by the IWA Task Group on Mathematical Modelling for the Design and Operation of Biological Wastewater Treatment was presented. The model is used for the simulation of nitrogen removal. The simulations in this paper were done on the basis of a new calibration of the ASM 3 by Koch et al., with the easily degradable COD measured by respiration. For modelling of EBPR the BioP-Module of Rieger et al., was used. Six German wastewater treatment plants were simulated during this research to test the existing set of parameters of the models on various large scale plants. It was shown that changes for nitrification and enhanced biological phosphorus removal in the set of biological parameters were necessary. Sensible parameters and recommended values are presented in this article. Apart from the values of the changed biological parameters, we will in our examination discuss the modelling of the different activated sludge systems and the influent fractioning of the COD. Two plants with simultaneous denitrification in the recirculation ditch (EBPR) are simulated, one with preliminary dentrification, one with intermittent denitrification (EBPR), one with cascade denitrification (EBPR), and one pilot plant according to the Johannesburg-process (EBPR) which was simulated over a period of three months.