Activated sludge process diagnosis using advanced real-time monitoring equipment: activated sludge plant controller (ASP-CON)

The aim of this study is to evaluate a newly invented instrument, activated sludge plant controller (ASP-Con), and to optimize treatment processes by reducing energy consumption and saving costs in pursuance of achieving sustainable energy and water cycles. Although three hundred billion dollars of investment were put into the energy independence project to save energy and cost when operating wastewater treatment plant in Korea, it failed because the investments were allocated only to improvements of digester facilities, designs, and capacities. To propose a feasible optimization strategy for the wastewater treatment plant with minimal wastes, the ASP-Con was introduced and experimented in four major wastewater treatment plants in the Republic of Korea. This study identifies the optimal operating points for blower based on the oxygen uptake rate and dissolved oxygen measurement, and supported by ammonium measurements to run the plant efficiently in real time.