AUTOMATION OF THE ACCLIMATION PHASE IN A SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR DEGRADING INHIBITORY COMPOUNDS

An automatic strategy for acclimation of biomass to 4-chlorophenol in a sequencing batch reactor was evaluated. It combines an I/O linearizing plus PID controller to regulate the dissolved oxygen within the reactor at a given setpoint using the airflow rate, and a simple algorithm for establishing the end of the reaction phase using the manipulated airflow signal. The strategy was tested experimentally obtaining results that indicate that itis a viable alternative for automatic acclimation of biomass for toxic wastewater treatment in a SBR.