INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL OF INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESSES

Abstract

Requirements for treated wastewater are becoming increasingly more stringent. This, in combination with increasing loads, and limited availability of resources, calls for efficient methods of wastewater treatment processes. At present, the most widely used biological treatment process for industrial wastewater is activated sludge. This paper describes devices used for on-line measurement and monitoring of wastewater together with analyses used to characterize wastewater, as well as options available for control of the wastewater treatment process. Expert systems, fuzzy logic, and neural networks are discussed and introduced to be concerned with dynamic features, nonlinearities, not clearly stated control goals and the use of qualitative information about these processes. Potential benefits of thermophilic aerobic digestion, a promising technology of wastewater treatment, are also discussed.