Evaluation and improvement of wastewater treatment plant performance using BioWin

In this study,the activated sludge model implemented in the BioWin software was validated against full-scale wastewater treatment plant data. Only two stoichiometric parameters(Y p /acetic and the heterotrophic yield(Y H)) required calibration. The value 0.42 was used for Yp /acetic in this study,while the default value of the BioWin software is 0.49,making it comparable with the default values of the corresponding parameter(yield of phosphorus release to substrate uptake(YPO4)) used in ASM2,ASM2 d,and ASM3 P,respectively. Three scenarios were evaluated to improve the performance of the wastewater treatment plant,the possibility of wasting sludge from either the aeration tank or the secondary clarifier,the construction of a new oxidation ditch,and the construction of an equalization tank. The results suggest that construction of a new oxidation ditch or an equalization tank for the wastewater treatment plant is not necessary. However,sludge should be wasted from the aeration tank during wet weather to reduce the solids loading of the clarifiers and avoid effluent violations. Therefore,it is recommended that the design of wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) should include flexibility to operate the plants in various modes. This is helpful in selection of the appropriate operating mode when necessary,resulting in substantial reductions in operating costs.