Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
08:35
Interactive and Visualized Online Experimentation System for Engineering Education and Research
Published on: November 24, 2021
Model-based control of MF/UF filtration processes: pilot plant implementation and results
1Lehrstuhl für Prozesstechnik, RWTH Aachen University, Turmstrasse 46, 52064, Aachen, Germany. busch@lpt.rwth-aachen.de
Summary
A new model-based adaptive control approach improves membrane filtration in water treatment. This method enhances performance and reduces energy use and membrane strain by up to 50% in pilot-scale tests.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Water Treatment Technologies
Background:
- Membrane micro- and ultrafiltration are crucial for water and wastewater treatment but often use simple controls leading to suboptimal performance.
- Complex filtration mechanisms and limited data hinder advanced control strategies in these cyclic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally validate a model-based, adaptive run-to-run control approach for filtration processes.
- To demonstrate improvements in performance, safety, and resource efficiency for membrane bioreactors.
Main Methods:
- Implementation and experimental validation of a model-based adaptive run-to-run control strategy.
- Focus on a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment with cyclic filtration and backwashing phases.
Main Results:
- The controller demonstrated excellent prediction quality, optimization results, and operational stability.
- Achieved significant savings of up to 50% in energy consumption and reduced membrane strain.
- Enhanced operational safety was observed.
Conclusions:
- The model-based adaptive control approach is effective for optimizing cyclic membrane filtration processes.
- This strategy offers substantial economic and operational benefits for water and wastewater treatment applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Bioreactor Controls-I
Maintaining optimal conditions within fermenters is essential for maximizing microbial productivity and ensuring process efficiency. This lesson focuses on key parameters—temperature, foam, pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and pressure—and their precise measurement and control strategies in fermentation systems.Temperature ControlTemperature regulation is critical due to the exothermic nature of many fermentation processes. In small laboratory fermenters, temperature is commonly monitored using...
01:18Bioreactor Controls-II
In aerobic fermentations, oxygen is vital for microbial growth and metabolite production. Since air comprises only about 20% oxygen and the gas is poorly soluble in water—just 9 ppm at 20°C—supplying sufficient oxygen becomes a critical challenge, especially in high-demand processes like yeast growth or citric acid production. Even a fully saturated broth may offer only a few seconds of oxygen availability.To address this, sterile or scrubbed air is introduced into the fermentor via a sparger...
01:27Upstream Processing
Upstream processing represents a critical phase in biomanufacturing, wherein biological systems such as microorganisms, mammalian cells, or insect cells are cultivated to produce therapeutic proteins, vaccines, enzymes, or other biologically derived products. This phase encompasses all steps from the selection and genetic manipulation of the production organism to the cultivation of cells in bioreactors under tightly controlled environmental conditions.Host Selection and Genetic OptimizationThe...
00:53Filtration
Filtration is a physical separation process that involves passing a suspension through a porous medium to separate solids from fluids. During filtration, solids collect on the porous medium while liquids, also collectively known as the filtrate, pass through. The filtration medium is selected based on the filtration purpose, quantity, and nature of the precipitate. The general criteria for a suitable filtering medium are that it is inert, mechanically strong, nonabsorbent toward dissolved...
01:29Bioreactor Design and Operational System
Bioreactors are engineered vessels designed to cultivate microorganisms under controlled conditions for industrial bioprocessing. They maintain sterility and allow precise regulation of pH, temperature, oxygen, and nutrient levels to optimize microbial growth and metabolite production. Bioreactors range from small laboratory units of 1 liter to industrial systems holding up to 500,000 liters, though only about 75% of their volume is actively used for fermentation. The remaining headspace...
01:14Scale-Up Processes
The scale-up of microbial fermentation processes is essential in industrial biotechnology, allowing the transition from laboratory-scale experiments to commercial-scale production while aiming to maintain product yield and quality. This process requires meticulous adjustment of equipment design, process parameters, and contamination control strategies to accommodate increasing culture volumes.At the laboratory scale, cultures are typically maintained in 1 to 10-liter glass or autoclavable...