EOLI : Gestione Efficiente degli Impianti di Trattamento delle Acque Reflue Urbane Denis Dochain Project coordinator CESAME & IMAP Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium

2 Content Project context Objectives of EOLI Project organization Experimental facilities Some results

3 Project Context Efficient Operation of Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (EOLI) : an European project dedicated to sequential batch reactors (SBR’s) INCO/DEV programme, i.e. INternational COoperation with DEVeloping countries (here Latin America (Mexico + Uruguay))

4 What is a Sequential Batch Reactor? Anoxic phase : denitrification Aerobic phase : nitrification Reactions ;

5 Objectives of EOLI Design of a low-cost, modular and reliable monitoring and control system for wastewater treatment processes dedicated to the treatment of wastewater from urban settlements SBR’s : well adapted for developing countries (low investment and operation costs, process stability, operation reliability)

6 3 types of wastewater : 1) one from a dairy industry contaminated with organic carbon components and nitrogen 2) one for an area including chemical industry containing toxic or recalcitrant compounds 3) one domestic wastewater which occasionally contains toxic or organic overloads Monitoring of the biomass concentration due to possible settling problems of the suspended solids

7 Project organization

8 Project partners European academic partners : –Univ. catholique de Louvain (UCL) –Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l’Environnement (LBE), INRA, Narbonne –Gradient, Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC) –POLIMI (+ ENEA) Latin American academic partners : –Universidad Nacional Autonoma Mexico (UNAM) –Universidad de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay (UU) Industrial partners –SPES –IBTech (Mexico)

9 Uruguay (Montevideo) Mexico (UNAM, IBTech) Italy (POLIMI, ENEA, SPES) France (INRA, Narbonne) France (UTCompiègne) Belgium (UCL)

10 Experimental Facilities 8 lab-scale and field-scale reactors : Gradient : 4 L UU : 2 x 20 L POLIMI : 30 L UNAM : 30 L LBE : 200 L ENEA : 500 L IBTech : 1000 L

11 UU’s reactor

12 UNAM’s reactor

13 LBE’s reactor

14 IBTech’s Reactor

15 Some Results Experimental data Dynamical model Software sensor Control design (Hardware sensors)

16 Experimental data LBE-INRA

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18 Dynamical Modelling 2 models : EM1 : carbon removal (Mexico) : S C + S O --> X EM2 : carbon & nitrogen removal (denitrification/nitrification) : Anoxic phase : NO 3 reduction : S C + S NO3 --> X h + S NO2 NO 2 reduction : S C + S NO2 --> X h + N 2 Ammonification : S N --> S NH Aerobic phase : NH 4 oxidation : S O + S NH --> X a + S NO2 NO 2 oxidation : S O + S NO2 --> X a + S NO3 C-removal : S C + S O --> X h Ammonification : S N --> S NH

19 Experimental protocol for parameter calibration : Datasets distributed in two (calibration set, validation set) Mathematical transformation : distribution of the parameters in 3 sets (transfer coefficients, yield coefficients, kinetic parameters) in order to provide independent calibration A priori identifiability analysis A posteriori statistical analysis of the calibration results

20 Validation data (POLIMI)

21 Software Sensors Objective : to provide on-line values of key process components that are not accessible for on-line measurement in presence of uncertainty in the model (kinetics) Example : EM1 - On-line measurement : dissolved oxygen S 0 - Software measurement : biomass concentration X - Uncertain parameter : maximum specific growth rate  0 (known mean value) - Calibration challenge : fast convergence

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24 Control Design Event Driven Time Optimal Control (UNAM)

25 Optimal determination of time durations for anoxic and aerobic phases (LBE-INRA) « target » (final values of C and N) anoxic phases aerobic phases

26 Conclusions EOLI : last EC project of Alberto Rozzi EOLI objectives : to provide a low-cost, modular and reliable monitoring and control system for Sequential Batch Reactors (SBR’s) Hardware sensor development plays an essential role in EOLI