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Recently, research efforts aiming to improve energy efficiency of wastewater treatment processes for large centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been increasing. Global warming impacts, energy sustainability, and biosolids generation are among several key drivers towards the establishment of energy-efficient WWTPs. WWTPs have been recognized as major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions as these are significant energy consumers in the industrialized world. The quantity of biosolids or excess waste activated sludge produced by WWTP will increase in the future due to population growth and this pose environmental concerns and solid waste disposal issues. Due to limited capacity of landfill sites, more stringent environmental legislation, and air pollution from incineration sites, there is a need to rethink the conventional way of dealing with wastewater and the sludge production that comes with it. This book provides an overview of advanced biological, physical and chemical treatment with the aim of reducing the volume of sewage sludge. Provides a comprehensive list of processes aiming at reducing the volume of sewage sludge and increasing biogas production from waste activated sludge. Includes clear process flowsheet showing how the process is modified compared to the conventional waste activated sludge process. Provides current technologies applied on full scale plant as well as methods still under investigation at laboratory scale. Offers data from pilot scale experience of these processes

In 1982 the International Association on Water Pollution Research and Control (IAWPRC), as it was then called, established a Task Group on Mathematical Modelling for Design and Operation of Activated Sludge Processes. The aim of the Task Group was to create a common platform that could be used for the future development of models for COD and N removal with a minimum of complexity. As the collaborative result of the work of several modelling groups, the Activated Sludge Model No. 1 (ASM1) was published in 1987, exactly 25 years ago. The ASM1 can be considered as the reference model, since this model triggered the general acceptance of wastewater treatment modelling, first in the research community and later on also in practice. ASM1 has become a reference for many scientific and practical projects, and has been implemented (in some cases with modifications) in most of the commercial software available for modelling and simulation of plants for N removal. The models have grown more complex over the years, from ASM1, including N removal processes, to ASM2 (and its variations) including P removal processes, and ASM3 that corrects the deficiencies of ASM1 and is based on a metabolic approach to modelling. So far, ASM1 is the most widely applied. Applications of Activated Sludge Models has been prepared in celebration of 25 years of ASM1 and in tribute to the activated sludge modelling pioneer, the late Professor G.v.R. Marrais. It consists of a dozen of practical applications for ASM models to model development, plant optimization, extension, upgrade, retrofit and troubleshooting, carried out by the members of the Delft modelling group over the last two decades.

Aerobic granular sludge technology will play an important role as an innovative technology alternative to the present activated sludge process in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment in the near future. Intended to fill the gaps in the studies of aerobic granular sludge, this thesis comprehensively investigates the formation, characterization and mathematical modeling of aerobic granular sludge, through integrating the process engineering tools and advanced molecular microbiology. The research results of this thesis contributed significantly to the advance of understanding and optimization of the bacterial granulation processes, the next generation of technology for cost-effective biological wastewater treatment.Dr. Bing-Jie Ni works at Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC) of The University of Queensland, Australia.

Mathematical modelling of activated sludge systems is used widely for plant design, optimisation, training, controller design and research. The quality of simulation studies varies depending on the project objectives, finances and expertise available. Consideration has to be given to the model accuracy and the amount of time required carrying out a simulation study to produce the desired accuracy. Inconsistent approaches and insufficient documentation make quality assessment and comparison of simulation results difficult or almost impossible. A general framework for the application of activated sludge models is needed in order to overcome these obstacles. The genesis of the Good Modelling Practice (GMP) Task Group lies in a workshop held at the 4th IWA World Water Congress in Marrakech, Morocco where members of research groups active in wastewater treatment modelling came together to develop plans to synthesize the best practices of modellers from all over the world. The most cited protocols were included in the work, amongst others from: HSG (Hochschulgruppe), STOWA, BIOMATH and WERF. The goal of the group is to set up an internationally accepted framework to deal with the ASM type models in practice. This framework shall make modelling more straightforward and systematic to use especially for practitioners and consultants. Additionally, it shall help to define quality levels for simulation results, a procedure to assess this quality and to assist in the proper use of the models. The framework will describe a methodology for goal-oriented application of activated sludge models demonstrated by means of a concise guideline about the procedure of a simulation study and some illustrative case studies. The case studies shall give examples for the required data quality and quantity and the effort for calibration/validation with respect to a defined goal. The final report will include an extended appendix with additional information and details of methodologies. Additional features in Guidelines for Using Activated Sludge Models include a chapter on modelling industrial wastewater, an overview on the history, current practice and future of activated sludge modelling and several explanatory case studies. It can be used as an introductory book to learn about Good Modelling Practice (GMP) in activated sludge modelling and will be of special interest for process engineers who have no prior knowledge of modelling or for lecturers who need a textbook for their students. The STR can also be used as a modelling reference book and includes an extended appendix with additional information and details of methodologies. Scientific and Technical Report No. 22