Incorporating water chemistry into the steady-state models for wastewater treatment processes: case study anaerobic reactor in the SANI

The awareness of the effect of abiotic processes in wastewater treatment and sludge treatment technologies is increasing considerably. However traditionally used mathematical models either do not represent abiotic processes, or use simplified approaches. This paper presents a mathematical model able to represent abiotic processes in the steady-state model developed for the anaerobic reactor in the SANI ® process. The capability of the model to predict the water chemistry present in the system is shown with experimental data from a pilot-scale plant and finally the benefits of incorporating water chemistry into the anaerobic reactor model are shown with a theoretical exploration by simulation.