Operation of an innovative WWTP with environmental objectives. A model-based analysis

Operation of wastewater treatment plants can be subjected to economic, energetic and/or environmental objectives, besides the compliance with effluent limits. As trade-offs between different objectives are frequently unavoidable, model based analysis can assist in decision making and give further insight on the effect of the operating conditions. Furthermore, as new wastewater treatment technologies have appeared in the latest years, model-based analysis is needed to ascertain what the advantages of the new technologies are. We demonstrate here how to assess and operate an innovative WWTP according to different objectives with case-study based on a real innovative pilot plant. The plant features the use of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) bacteria to deplete methane from digestate. Furthermore, given the slow growth rate of the system and the tendency to create complex syntrophic environments, the use of a model becomes a keystone to operate these reactors.