Experiments for modelling the biodegradation of wastewater in sequencing batch reactors

Three types of wastewater were considered: typical municipal wastewater and the effluent of a dairy industry, both polluted with organic carbon and nitrogen, and wastewater typical of a chemical industry, containing toxic or recalcitrant compounds (4-chlorophenol). Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were considered. Process experiments were performed to provide experimental data for parameter identification of the dynamical models of the SBRs. The processes were instrumented with sensors to measure O-2, NH3, T, pH, OUR, and other off line measurements (e.g.: NO2- and NO3-, COD, phenol concentration, microbiological counts and activities) in order to study more accurately the behaviour of the biomasses. However, the general idea is to design a system with a minimal number of sensors.