Abstract
The intensification of biological wastewater treatment requires the high usage of electric energy, mainly for aeration processes. Publications on energy consumption have been mostly related to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The aim of the research was to elaborate on models for the estimation of energy consumption during dairy WWTP operation. These models can be used for the optimization of electric energy consumption. The research was conducted in a dairy WWTP, operating with dissolved air flotation (DAF) and an activated sludge system. Energy consumption was measured with the help of three-phase network parameter transducers and a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The obtained models provided accurate predictions of DAF, biological treatment, and the overall WWTP energy consumption using chemical oxygen demand (COD), sewage flow, and air temperature. Using the energy consumption of the biological treatment as an independent variable, as well as air temperature, it is possible to estimate the variability of the total electric energy consumption. During the summer period, an increase in the organic load (expressed as COD) discharged into the biological treatment causes higher electric energy consumption in the whole dairy WWTP. Hence, it is recommended to increase the efficiency of the removal of organic pollutants in the DAF process. An application for the estimation of energy consumption was created.
Highlights
Sewage and sludge treatment processes are inextricably linked to electric energy consumption.The intensification of biological wastewater treatment has a positive impact on the natural environment, but requires the high usage of electric energy, mainly for aeration processes
The aim of the research was to elaborate on models for energy consumption estimation during the operation of dairy wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which could be used by operators and designers for the optimization of electric energy consumption during particular processes
The obtained describe the variability of electric energy consumption of a WWTP with high accuracy
Summary
Sewage and sludge treatment processes are inextricably linked to electric energy consumption. The intensification of biological wastewater treatment has a positive impact on the natural environment, but requires the high usage of electric energy, mainly for aeration processes. The increased production in dairy plants, observed since Poland’s accession to the European Union, has resulted in an increase in the quantity of dairy sewage and pollutant load. A steady increase in the volume of processed milk has been observed. Between 2000 and 2016, annual milk production increased from 11,552 hm to. 12,867 hm , while the global amount of sewage from the dairy sector reached 28.1 hm in 2016 [1]. The characteristics of dairy sewage differ significantly from typical municipal wastewater
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
