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

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.

This book has been produced to give a total overview of the Activated Sludge Model (ASM) family at the start of 2000 and to give the reader easy access to the different models in their original versions. It thus presents ASM1, ASM2, ASM2d and ASM3 together for the first time. Modelling of activated sludge processes has become a common part of the design and operation of wastewater treatment plants. Today models are being used in design, control, teaching and research. Contents ASM3: Introduction, Comparison of ASM1 and ASM3, ASM3: Definition of compounds in the model, ASM3: Definition of processes in the Model, ASM3: Stoichiometry, ASM3: Kinetics, Limitations of ASM3, Aspects of application of ASM3, ASM3C: A Carbon based model, Conclusion ASM 2d: Introduction, Conceptual Approach, ASM 2d, Typical Wastewater Characteristics and Kinetic and Stoichiometric Constants, Limitations, Conclusion ASM 2: Introduction, ASM 2, Typical Wastewater Characteristics and Kinetic and Stoichiometric Constants, Wastewater Characterization for Activated Sludge Processes, Calibration of the ASM 2, Model Limitations, Conclusion, Bibliography ASM 1: Introduction, Method of Model Presentation, Model Incorporating Carbon Oxidation Nitrification and Denitrification, Characterization of Wastewater and Estimation of Parameter Values, Typical Parameter Ranges, Default Values, and Effects of Environmental Factors, Assumptions, Restrictions and Constraints, Implementation of the Activated Sludge Model Scientific and Technical Report No.9

Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation of Activated Sludge Systems – Second Edition provides, from the process engineering perspective, a comprehensive and up-to-date overview regarding various aspects of the mechanistic (“white box”) modelling and simulation of advanced activated sludge systems performing biological nutrient removal. In the new edition of the book, a special focus is given to nitrogen removal and the latest developments in modelling the innovative nitrogen removal processes. Furthermore, a new section on micropollutant removal has been added. The focus of modelling has been shifting in the last years to models that can describe the performance of a whole plant (plant-wide modelling). The expanded part of this new edition introduces models describing the most important processes interrelated with the mainstream activated sludge systems as well as models describing the energy balance, operating costs and environmental impact. The complex process evaluation, including minimization of energy consumption and carbon footprint, is in line with the present and future wastewater treatment goals. By combining a general introduction and a textbook, this book serves both intermediate and more experienced model users, both researchers and practitioners, as a comprehensive guide to modelling and simulation studies. The book can be used as a supplemental material at graduate and post-graduate levels of wastewater engineering/modelling courses.

Mathematical modeling is a useful tool for the design, analysis and control of wastewater treatment systems. The activated sludge process is one of the most common processes used in wastewater treatment, and therefore is a particularly important candidate for the application of mathematical models. In the 1980s, a task group organized by the International Association on Water Quality (IAWQ) developed a conceptual model of the activated sludge process, which has become an industry-wide standard for the development of computer-based activated sludge models. A recent version of the IAWQ model incorporates 19 components, 17 processes, and numerous rate and stoichiometric coefficients. It is difficult and costly to quantify all of the necessary coefficients for any given application of the model; consequently, it is important to identify the most critical wastewater and biomass components and the relevant coefficients to be quantified for the most common uses of the model. It is also important to provide guidance to potential model users on the use of default and/or estimated values for the remaining parameters.

Activated Sludge and Aerobic Biofilm Reactors is the fifth volume in the series Biological Wastewater Treatment. The first part of the book is devoted to the activated sludge process, covering the removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus.A detailed analysis of the biological reactor (aeration tank) and the final sedimentation tanks is provided. The second part of the book covers aerobic biofilm reactors, especially trickling filters, rotating biological contractors and submerged aerated biofilters. For all the systems, the book presents in a clear and informative way the main concepts, working principles, expected removal efficiencies, design criteria, design examples, construction aspects and operational guidelines. About the series: The series is based on a highly acclaimed set of best selling textbooks. This international version is comprised by six textbooks giving a state-of-the-art presentation of the science and technology of biological wastewater treatment. Other titles in the series are: Volume 1: Waste Stabilisation Ponds; Volume 2: Basic Principles of Wastewater Treatment; Volume 3: Waste Stabilization Ponds; Volume 4: Anaerobic Reactors; Volume 6: Sludge Treatment and Disposal

The scope of this comprehensive new edition of Handbook of Biological Wastewater Treatment ranges from the design of the activated sludge system, final settlers, auxiliary units (sludge thickeners and digesters) to pre-treatment units such as primary settlers and UASB reactors. The core of the book deals with the optimized design of biological and chemical nutrient removal. The book presents the state-of-the-art theory concerning the various aspects of the activated sludge system and develops procedures for optimized cost-based design and operation. It offers a truly integrated cost-based design method that can be easily implemented in spreadsheets and adapted to the particular needs of the user. Handbook of Biological Wastewater Treatment: Second Edition incorporates valuable new material that improves the instructive qualities of the first edition. The book has a new structure that makes the material more readily understandable and the numerous additional examples clarify the text. On the website www.wastewaterhandbook.com three free excel design spreadsheets for different configurations (secondary treatment with and without primary settling and nitrogen removal) can be downloaded to get the reader started with their own design projects. New sections have been added throughout: to explain the difference between true and apparent yield while the section on the F/M ratio, and especially the reasons not to use it, has been expanded; to demonstrate the effect of the oxygen recycle to the anoxic zones on both the denitrification capacity and the concept of available nitrate is explained in more detail. the latest developments on the causes and solution to sludge bulking and scum formation to show the rapid developments of innovative nitrogen removal and sludge separation problems the anaerobic pre-treatment section is completely rewritten based on the experiences obtained from an extensive review of large full-scale UASB based sewage treatment plants a new section on industrial anaerobic wastewater treatment three new appendices have been added. These deal with the calibration of the denitrification model, empirical design guidelines for final settler design (STORA/STOWA and ATV) and with the potential for development of denitrification in the final settler. A new chapter on moving bed biofilm reactors Handbook of Biological Wastewater Treatment: Second Edition is written for post graduate students and engineers in consulting firms and environmental protection agencies. It is an invaluable resource for everybody working in the field of wastewater treatment. Lecturer support material is available when adopted for university courses. This includes course material for the first 7 modules in the form of PDF printouts and an exercise file with questions and answers and a symbol list. Authors: Prof. dr. ir. A.C. van Haandel, Federal University of Campina Grande - Brazil and Ir. J.G.M. van der Lubbe, Biothane Systems International - Veolia, The Netherlands