Design of a generalized predictive controller for a biological wastewater treatment plant

This paper presents a generalized predictive control (GPC) technique to regulate the activated sludge process found in a bioreactor used in wastewater treatment. The control strategy can track dissolved oxygen setpoint changes quickly, adapting to the system uncertainties and disturbances. Tests occur on an Activated Sludge Model No. 1 benchmark of an activated sludge process. A T filter added to the GPC framework results in an effective control strategy in the presence of coloured measurement noise. This work also suggests how a constraint on the measured variable can be added as a penalty term to the GPC framework which leads to improved control of the dissolved oxygen concentration in the presence of dynamic input disturbance.