Alternative wastewater treatment process with algae (AlgA) – general mathematical model and dynamic simulation

Conventional wastewater treatment systems are based on processes including the steps of pre-/ primary, sec-ondary and finally the sludge treatment. In this study a treatment step with algae as an alternative secondary treatment is supposed to improve the biological nutri-ent removal efficiency. In comparison with conventional technologies, less is known about the internal functioning of microalgae wastewater treatment systems. To integrate an algal system into a conventional wastewater treatment pro-cess, a mathematical model based on Activated Sludge Models (ASM) can help to understand the influences of algae on the general system of a wastewater treat-ment plant. The main outcome of the present study is to apply a dynamic model for a conventional wastewater treat-ment plant including an integrated microalgae-bacteria model to remove the nutrients nitrogen and phospho-rus. The AlgA system is simulated in SIMBA# (soft-ware for modelling and dynamic simulation in wastewater technology) considering the annual varia-tion of environmental influences in Central Europe.