Cybernetic Modeling of the Metabolic Adaptation of Activated Sludge Biomass

Some publications are indicating that the evaluation of kinetic parameters of Activated Sludge Models (ASM), is influenced by enzymatic regulation. The objective of this paper is to present an activated sludge model which mimics the enzymatic induction at the transcription level of active biomass within the frame of ASM models. The model has been fit on data found in literature. The proposed model gives a more realistic picture of active biomass and of its specific activity, but further research is required to support the model with experimental data. In the end, the objective is that a single set of values for the model parameters would allow to predict the response of different processes over a much wider range of conditions than currently possible. This will eventually extend the model to be an ever more helpful tool in research and understanding of processes in treatment systems. Copyright © IFAC 2004.