Using plant data to estimate biodegradable COD fractions - case study kwaMashu WWTP.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Treatment Technologies
• Mathematical Modelling

Background:

• Wastewater treatment plant upgrades require accurate influent characterization for effective model calibration.
• Experimental determination of wastewater influent fractionation is often costly and time-consuming.
• Existing monitoring data (COD, FSA, TSS) are insufficient for detailed wastewater modelling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a modelling approach for estimating influent wastewater fractionation.
• To overcome barriers in experimental wastewater characterization for plant upgrades.
• To infer influent properties using a combination of influent and plant measurements.

Main Methods:

• Application of a probabilistic influent fractionator model.
• Utilization of a simplified steady-state plant-wide model.
• Integration of influent and operational plant data for parameter estimation.

Main Results:

• Successfully estimated influent fractionation parameters for a wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of inferring unmeasured operational parameters.
• Provided a practical solution to challenges in wastewater characterization for modelling.

Conclusions:

• The developed modelling approach effectively estimates influent wastewater fractionation.
• This method facilitates wastewater treatment plant modelling and upgrades, especially where experimental data is limited.
• The study supports improved wastewater treatment plant management through advanced modelling techniques.