Solving the inverse problem for aggregation in activated sludge flocculation using a population balance framework

Many systems contain populations of individuals. Often, they are regarded as a lumped phase, which might, for some applications, lead to inadequate model predictive power. An alternative framework, Population Balance Models, has been used here to describe such a system, activated sludge flocculation in which particle size is the property one wants to model. An important problem to solve in population balance modelling is to determine the model structure that adequately describes experimentally obtained data on for instance, the time evolution of the floc size distribution. In this contribution, an alternative method based on solving the inverse problem is used to recover the model structure from the data. In this respect, the presence of similarity in the data simplifies the problem significantly. Similarity was found and the inverse problem could be solved. A forward simulation then confirmed the quality of the model structure to describe the experimental data.