Real-time control of two-stage sequencing batch reactor system for the treatment of animal wastewater

An evaluation of the use of ORP as a real-time control parameter was conducted. A newly da eloped real-time control strategy, using ORP, was successfully applied, without a supplemental carbon source, to a new type of bench-scale two-stage SBR process for the treatment of swine wastewater. With real-time control, consistently high system performances were obtained, despite the fluctuation of influent quality; removal efficiencies for BOD5, COD, NH4-N, TKN, Ortho-P, Total Phosphorus (TP) averaged approximately 99.6%, 97%, 98%, 96%, 95% and 94%, respectively. Also, effective denitrification could be achieved without the addition of an external carbon source; the average NOx-N level on final effluent was 11 mg l(-1). The data from this study reveal that both the ORP and pH can be used as successful process control parameters in the optimization of nutrient removal and treatment system capacity. Feasible real-time control strategies using dynamic ORF and pH change are established through this research.