Mathematical modeling of oxygen control in biocell composting plants

Abstract We propose an optimal control problem to determine the best aeration strategy for aerobic biodegradation in a composting cell. The goal is to minimize the deviation of the oxygen level from its reference value for the entire duration of the biodegradation process. The mathematical model includes several chemical phenomena, like the aerobic biodegradation of the soluble substrate by means of a bacterial biomass, the hydrolysis of insoluble substrate and the biomass decay. The oxygen and the optimal mechanical aeration time profiles are obtained and discussed. Finally, the plant performance is evaluated in absence and presence of external aeration by means of several specific indices.