Effect of climatological variations on Eco-efficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants operation

This study addresses the effect of climate conditions on treatment effectiveness and energy consumption in a conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). It has been observed that winter temperatures below 12°C produce a deterioration of pollutants elimination and energy efficiency in the activated sludge process (ASP). Then, in this work, variations of climatological conditions are considered, and ASP control parameters are modified, to evaluate their effect into the eco-efficiency of the WWTP operation. The eco-efficiency of the operation is analyzed from a plant-wide perspective considering the effects on different units of the plant. The Benchmark Simulation Model 2 (BSM2), that represents a typical WWTP, is selected for simulations. Introduction of seasonal temperature effects on ASP control strategy are contemplated for future work.