Abstract

The International Association of Water Quality (IAWQ) Activated Sludge Model No.2 (ASM2) was applied to troubleshoot an existing underperforming full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) built for biological nutrient removal. The WWTP is operated in a 3-stage pho-redox process configuration (A2O). This study was undertaken with the aim of finding optimal operating conditions that will meet TP and TN concentration requirements in the effluent of the WWTP under study without the use of either chemical or external carbon sources and also to verify the applicability, capability and predictability of ASM2 as implemented in STOAT software. ASM2 was successfully used to troubleshoot bottle neck areas and to define the operational schedule for optimal performance of the wastewater treatment plant. Consequently, the costs of chemical and external carbon sources were eliminated and the effect of residual chemicals on the environment reduced.

Keywords:

Biological nutrient removal, IAWQ_ASM2, optimal performance, troubleshoot, wastewater treatment,

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