Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678

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Environmental Technology & Innovation

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/eti

Enhanced Energy Saving in Wastewater Treatment Plant using

Dissolved Oxygen Control and Hydrocyclone
∗
Narendra Khatri a,c , , Kamal Kishore Khatri a,c , Abhishek Sharma b
a
Department of Mechanical-Mechatronics Engineering, The LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur, India
b
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, The LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur, India
c
Centre of Energy and Environmental Studies, The LNM Institute of Information Technology, Jaipur, India

article info a b s t r a c t

Article history: Water and energy are precious commodities. With the rising population, their demand
Received 9 December 2019 is escalating day by day. If we talk about water, groundwater is the primary freshwater
Received in revised form 10 February 2020 source for private colonies, apartments and institutions in India. The present media
Accepted 10 February 2020
reports forecast that 21 Indian cities will be running out of groundwater by 2020. Reuse
Available online 13 February 2020
of treated water from wastewater treatment for non-domestic applications is one of the
Keywords: best alternatives to control the scarcity of fresh water. The conventional Wastewater
Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) Treatment Plants (WWTPs) have limited capacity and are energy-intensive. The existing
Capacity enhancement WWTP of the LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT) is retrofitted to achieve
Energy-saving the required capacity and quality for reuse. In this paper, some of the novel techniques
Aeration control like hydrocyclone and smart aeration control have been adopted for energy saving per
Dissolved Oxygen unit of wastewater treated. Hydrocyclone was designed and installed for primary sludge
separation. The air supplied in the bioreactor was controlled through the smart aeration
control system consisting of Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
sensor and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Under this process, the installation of
VFD enhanced the power factor by 17.15%, thus creating energy saving of 17.49%. The
DO control with VFD in the bioreactor reduced the electrical energy consumption for
aeration by 66.75%. The installation of hydrocyclone as a primary sludge separator with
DO control saved the electrical energy for aeration by 71.46%. The developed system
provided stable operation with enhanced aeration energy efficiency and treatment
capacity.
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Water and energy are valuable assets. As the population grows, their demand increases every day. When it comes to
water, groundwater is the primary source of freshwater in India for private colonies, apartments and institutions. The
media reports forecast that by 2020, 21 Indian cities would be running out of groundwater Anon (2020). Wastewater
treatment is essential for sustainable development. One of the best alternative to control shortage of fresh water is to
reuse treated water from WWTPs in non-domestic applications. Volatility of energy prices, rapid urbanization, increasing
energy demand and strict discharge/reuse requirements in developing countries have led to a more efficient and effective
treatment of wastewater. Various biological treatment techniques are widely adopted in different parts of the world due

∗ Corresponding author at: Department of Mechanical-Mechatronics Engineering, The LNM Institute of Information Technology,
Jaipur, 302031, India.
E-mail address: [email protected] (N. Khatri).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.100678
2352-1864/© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
2 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678

Abbreviations
AC Alternating Current
ARIMA Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average
ASP Activated Sludge Process
BNR Biological Nutrient Removal
BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand
CANON Completely Autotrophic Nitrogen Removal Over Nitrite
CFM Cubic Feet per Minute
COD Chemical Oxygen Demand
DO Dissolved Oxygen
GHG Green House Gas
HP Horse Power
KPI Key Performance Indicators
LNMIIT LNM Institute of Information Technology
MBfR Membrane Biofilm Reactor
mg/l Milligram Per Litre
MLSS Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
NIT Nitrification Capacity
NOB Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria
O&G Oil and Grease
PI Proportional Integral
PID Proportional Integral Derivative
PLC Programmable Logic Controller
PPM Parts Per Million
SPC Specific Power Consumption
TKN Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen
TSS Total Suspended Solids
VFD Variable Frequency Drive
WWTP Waste Water Treatment Plant

to their exceptional efficacy and robustness. Significant energy requirement in operation pose a barrier in the application
of these systems. It takes a considerable amount of electrical power for aeration, the single most energy-demanding
operation.
Conventional WWTPs account for 25 to 60 percent of operating costs associated with power usage (Foladori et al., 2015;
Luo et al., 2019; Panepinto et al., 2016). The energy source for the waste water treatment is electricity. In the United States,
it costs around 30% to 40% of the total operation and maintenance cost of WWTPs. In India, it is around 30% to 60% of the
total operating cost. Therefore, with the increase in population and stringent discharge limit, it is necessary to expand
the capacity of old (existing WWTP) or establish new plants which are energy efficient.
Recently, the wastewater treatment industry has been identified as an electricity-intensive sector because of huge
electricity consumption and Green House Gas (GHG) emission. The international agreement, such as Kyoto Protocol, makes
it essential to undertake research on the control of the GHG emission. Several countries have committed to minimize GHG
emissions, and a number of initiatives have been put in place to help the water industry achieve this goal (Miller-Robbie
et al., 2017). Transformation of wastewater treatment is required to reduce carbon emission by improving the operational
efficiencies, leading to improved energy management of the plant (Mamais et al., 2015).
Mamais et al. have built a mathematical model to analyse both on-site and off-site GHG emissions and to suggest
energy-saving measures that can be implemented to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions in Greece. The energy
usage and operational information are gathered from 10 WWTPs. Simple operational improvements have culminated in
a potential energy efficiency and a reasonable cost to mitigate GHG (Mamais et al., 2015).
Mizuta et al. investigated the consumption of electricity in the municipal WWTPs. Differences in scale, treatment
method and treatment of sludge are evaluated using a benchmarking analysis of electrical power consumption in
diverse plants. The WWTP with minimal Specific Power Consumption (SPC) is analysed (Mizuta and Shimada, 2010).
The challenges of upgrade/retrofitting of existing STPs are investigated (Hasan et al., 2019).
Belloir et al. conducted a benchmark analysis for two full-scale WWTPs, with primary, secondary (oxidation ditch)
and tertiary treatment systems. The cost of treatment is 2.32 kWh/m3 at WWTP-1 and 0.98 kWh/m3 for WWTP-2. The
aeration energy supplied for WWTP-1 and WWTP-2 is 2.08 kWh/m3 and 0.91 kWh/m3 , respectively. The study revealed
 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678 3

that a significant part of the energy consumption (90%–92%) for both the WWTPs is under aeration system while the
remaining energy is in the form of mechanical energy and chemical energy. The installation of the primary settling tank
reduces the aeration energy requirement at WWTPs by 49%, without impacting the effluent quality (Belloir et al., 2015).
Ramli et al. presented a method of wastewater treatment, which increased energy efficiency in the central region
WWTPs by focusing on biogas production. The predicted model of energy production and power consumption is developed
using an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) technique. The implementation of these aspects enhanced
energy efficiency by 10% (Ramli and Abdul Hamid, 2016).
Henriques et al. build up an index for energy consumption with the analysis of energy audit reports of 14 waste water
treatment facilities where the major energy consumption is in aeration. It is 53% of the overall electric energy consumption
and more than 12% of pumping operations. The sustainable quality metric is linked to cost /efficient energy reduction. It
is developed and used for the benchmarking and optimization of each WWTP operation (Henriques and Catarino, 2017).
Fraia et al. presented a statistical approach for the assessment of energy requirement at WWTP by studying the quantity
of pollutants in the influent instead of the ones eradicated. The pollutant removal efficiency of the treatment was measured
through energy consumption. There was development of a new class for performance-specific energy use and pollution-
reduction efficiency. An explicit indicator for the energy consumption of sludge lines, sludge transport and WWTP energy
production was expanded and used (Di Fraia et al., 2018; Moreno et al., 2017).
Molinos-senante et al. have modelled energy intensity for 305 wastewater treatment facilities to explore the technical
variables on energy intensity which are dependent on technology. The enhanced understanding of the factors influencing
energy intensity in WWTPs contribute to technology innovation, improved energy use and consequently, reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions (Molinos-Senante et al., 2018). The prediction of effluent quality for reuse of the treated water
is made through an artificial neural network model (Khatri et al., 2019).
Li et al. evaluated the operational data of 22 WWTPs in Shenzehen to demonstrate the impact of treatment capability
and technology on the energy consumption of wastewater treatment system (Li et al., 2017). Advanced real-time
instrumentation, monitoring and automation controls are built for the process of biological nutrient removal. They are
capable of optimizing the efficiency of nutrient extraction in WWTPs at lower energy costs. On use, it enhanced treatment
efficiency while lowering energy consumption and GHG emissions (Povoa et al., 2018).
Wastewater treatment plant performance optimization is the solution to sustainable wastewater treatment in the
developing countries. Thürlimann et al. presented the notion of visualization of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the
plant which plays a vital role in the optimization of plant’s performance. The KPI set consists of energy and effluent
quality indicator values. This assists in providing a quick assessment of the current plant performance and simplifying the
monitoring and analysis of the inter- and intra-process relationship dynamics (Thürlimann et al., 2015). Supplementary
carbon incorporation is tailored for nitrogen extraction with the help of nitrification/denitrification. The aeration method
is regulated using a novel aeration strategy based on the determination of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate concentrations
so that the reactors retain equivalent concentrations of ammonia and nitrate + nitrite (NOx ) effluents (Chandran et al.,
2014). The Energy-saving strategies are wastewater treatment with varying sludge yield, different sludge retention times,
low DO concentrations and aeration of solutions with a high concentration of bio-solids (Sandberg, 2010).
Aeration efficiency is increased by using high-efficiency aeration devices and by improving the aeration control
strategy. The aeration performance is related to the concentration of Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) and the
operational DO concentration. The test of growth kinetics parameters of nitrifiers are tested at different DO levels.
Result reveals that the activated sludge system could meet effluent criteria at low DO. In addition, nitrifier communities
cultivated under low DO conditions had higher oxygen affinity than those cultivated under high DO conditions, as
indicated by the oxygen half-saturation constant and nitrification ability. It is observed that operating at low DO and
low mixed liquor, volatile suspended solids could significantly reduce energy consumption (Fan et al., 2017).
Fan et al. introduced a data-driven approach that has been implemented in the mid-west to model the aeration cycle
and optimize a large-scale WWTP. This includes optimization of aeration process to minimize the use of energy without
sacrificing the quality of water. Models built by data mining algorithms help to build a clear and concise relationship
between the input and output variables. This saves a lot of energy while maintaining a reliable water quality (Asadi et al.,
2017). Rosso et al. shaped the equilibrium and dynamic energy-footprint of large wastewater treatment plants. This model
helps to minimize process energy footprints, improving the process operation and effluent quality (Rosso et al., 2012).
A simulation study for upgrading the aeration system of full-scale Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) WWTP is
calibrated using activated sludge model-1. A feedback PI controller has been installed to control ammonia in the
aerobic tank which enhances control reliability and performance. A feed-forward controller has been added in the front
compartments of the aerobic tank. The optimal parametric values have been acquired for both control structures. The
parameter sets includes the set point of the effluent ammonia concentration, the aeration tank volume subject to each
controller, the aeration flow rate as well as the nitrification capacity (NIT) value (Zhu et al., 2017).
Ayber et al. developed a model to calculate energy and cost savings. In the conventional activated sludge process
for compressed air supply, fine bubble diffusers are replaced by hollow fibre membrane modules. The treatment quality
is evaluated for removal of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) Total Nitrogen (TN),
and hybrid growth (biofilm and suspended). The power requirement is reduced by 86% due to higher oxygen-transfer
efficiencies of MBfR. Cost savings are highly sensitive to the costs of the membrane modules and electrical power. The
cost is susceptible to membrane oxidation flux for ammonia and membrane life (Aybar et al., 2014).
4 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678

Fig. 1. Wastewater treatment process flow.

The waste water treatment model is developed for aeration energy saving at district of Greater Chicago, Calumet.
Effluent DO is identified as a limiting parameter for aeration energy-saving and discharge norms. Aeration can be reduced
up to 50 percent in a typical storm event, even with low probability and difficult disruptions and aeration reduction of
current average rates by 35 percent and with satisfactory discharge standards (Zhu and Anderson, 2017).
Intermittent aeration is adopted to introduce the non-aeration phases, which enhance the activity of anammox
bacteria and limit that of Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria (NOB). The micro-distribution of the DO in the reactor with dynamic
temperature changes when influent ammonia and DO microelectrodes are used. High performance sequencing is used
to track microbial communities’ development through decline in temperature and influent ammonium concentration. An
integrated intermittent aeration control system with DO is used to optimize the aeration process in the biofilm-based
completely autotrophic nitrite removal system (CANON) (Wang et al., 2019). The Proportional Integral Derivative (PID)
controller with an auto-tuning relay is used for DO control (Nikita and Lee, 2019).
Gikas presented a process which involves the integration of physicochemical methods for the elimination of solids
and low-energy biological filtration systems for the complete treatment of waste water (Gikas, 2017). The positive energy
wastewater treatment plant is developed by reducing the aeration energy requirement and producing the energy from the
bio-solids whether by anaerobic digestion or gasification (Tang et al., 2019). Gu et al. analysed energy consumption and
recovery in WWTPs and characterized the factors influencing the use of energy in WWTPs, including treatment techniques,
treatment capacity and regional differences. Recent advances in energy recovery system design and computational
research methods are provided to examine different technological solutions (Gu et al., 2017). The conventional wastewater
treatment plants which have higher SPC for the treatment of per unit of wastewater treated, is due to inefficient electric
pumps and blower machine deployment (Novak and Horvat, 2012).
Lower treatment efficiency, higher specific power consumption and less treatment capacity of the existing facility are
the major issues associated with conventional wastewater treatment plants. However, the novel primary sludge separation
through hydrocyclone separator using the smart aeration control is not reported yet. In this paper, the plant performance
has been experimentally investigated for identification of critical process parameters so as to have an efficient operation
of WWTP. Savings in specific energy consumption has been proposed by the installation of the VFD for aeration blower; by
installation of PLC for DO control in the bioreactor through regulation of the air supply and by installation of hydrocyclone
as primary sludge separator with smart aeration control.

2. Materials and method

2.1. Pilot plant description

The location of the pilot plant is at the LNMIIT Jaipur campus. The sewage treatment plant (STP) is based on the
biological activated sludge process with a capacity of 125KLD. Fig. 1 presents the steps involved in the process of
wastewater treatment.
The domestic sewage generated from the institute’s academic and residential area is collected through gravitation. For
the primary treatment of the influent sewage, it is passed through a screen and grit chamber with a loading platform and
 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678 5

Table 1
Quality of wastewater influent.
Parameter Mean Max Min
pH 7.60 7.78 7.42
Total Suspended Solids mg/L 157.50 187.00 90.00
Chemical oxygen Demand (COD) mg/L 355.75 382.00 317.00
Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) (3 Days at 27 ◦ C) mg/L 100.00 110.00 88.00
Oil & Grease mg/L 6.00 8.00 4.00
Ammonical Nitrogen as N mg/L 24.38 29.00 22.50
Phosphate (Total) as P mg/L 26.13 29.50 18.00
Conductivity at 25 ◦ C µmho/cm2 3006.25 3240.00 2790.00
Total Alkalinity as CaCO3 mg/L 671.00 708.00 576.00
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) as N mg/L 12.63 13.00 12.00

Fig. 2. Open-loop configuration of WWTP.

collected in the equalization tank for four hours. The submerged sewage re-lift pump lifts influent to the aeration tank for
the secondary treatment through diffused aeration. The diffused aeration takes place in the aeration tank with the help
of twin lobe blower with a capacity of 125 cfm. This aeration procedure is a continuous and an open loop. The overflow
of the aeration tank is passed to the clarifier where secondary settlement of the sludge takes place. This settled sludge
in the sludge sump is lifted with the help of sludge return pump to the sludge holding tank. It is partially recirculated to
the aeration tank to maintain MLSS in the aeration tank. The sludge from the holding tank is raised to the sludge drying
bed for drying. Treated water is collected in the treated effluent storage tank and is further pumped to sand filter and
activated carbon filter for the tertiary treatment. Online chlorination is performed for the disinfection of the water. This
water is collected in the treated filtered water tank and lifted for the horticulture requirements of the institute. The dried
sludge is used for land filling. Table 1 shows the influent quality.

2.2. Experimental configurations

The experimental investigation for energy-saving and capacity enhancement was performed in the following four
configurations.

2.2.1. Open-loop control configuration

Open-loop configuration is for the aeration system of the bioreactor. The air is supplied to the bioreactor at a constant
rate. Fig. 2 shows the experimental setup in an open-loop configuration. There were two aeration blowers deployed for
continuous air supply which operated alternatively for 30 min each. The electrical energy consumed and power factor for
the aeration are measured with the help of smart metre.

2.2.2. Open-loop control configuration with VFD

The aeration blower was operated through a VFD. The VFD can drive electric machines on a fixed speed as well as on a
variable speed and provide stable operation. Installation of the VFD increases the power factor, saves electric energy and
improves the quality of operation. It indirectly reduces losses due to the fluctuation in the frequency of power lines. The
‘Innovance’ make MD310, 7.5HP VFD is used for blower operation as presented in Fig. 3. The experimental setup with a
variable frequency drive is shown in Fig. 4. A single drive was used to run two blowers in an alternative operation for
half an hour each.
6 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678

Fig. 3. VFD for aeration blower.

Fig. 4. Open-loop configuration of WWTP with VFD.

2.2.3. Close-loop control configuration with DO set point

The close-loop control configuration with the DO set point is used to optimize the performance of the existing
wastewater treatment plant. It is important to analyse the factors affecting the performance of the plant. In the ASP
process of wastewater treatment, the oxygen is supplied through aeration in the bioreactor for the digestion of faecal
sludge in the influent. The treatment process in microbial and bacterial growth depends upon the availability of oxygen
and food. The ‘Sensorex’ make galvanic dissolved oxygen sensor DO6441 was installed to sense the oxygen level in the
bioreactor. The air supplied to the bioreactor was controlled with the help of DO sensor, PLC and VFD.
The experimental setup for the closed-loop configuration with DO set point is shown in Fig. 5. The DO set value of 2.00
PPM was fixed for bioreactor in the PLC through PID controller depicted in Fig. 6(a) (Insel et al., 2006). The PID controller
constantly measures the error value as the discrepancy between the desired DO set-point and the measured DO value.
Based on the error value, it performs a correction dependent on PID terms. The feedback signal y(t) of the process plant
is compared with the set point or reference signal u(t) and the PID controller is provided with the relevant error signal
e(t). The controller attempts to reduce the error over time, by adjusting a control variable u(t), according to the values of
 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678 7

Fig. 5. Closed-loop configuration of WWTP for DO set-point control.

Fig. 6. (a) PID controller for DO control in bioreactor, (b) A block diagram of a PID controller in a feedback-loop for DO control in bioreactor.

the Kp , Ki and Kd . Therefore, the combined and controlled output is produced and applied to the control hardware.
∫
de(t)
Total Correction = Kp e(t) + Ki e(t)dt + Kd (1)
dt
where e(t) is the error signal with respect to time Kp , Ki , and Kd are proportional, integral and derivative gains. Combined
operation of proportional, integral and derivative controls helps the unit to compensate for changes in its system and to
provide precise and stable control. This is most effective in systems that respond rapidly to changes in the DO value of
the bioreactor presented in Fig. 6(b).

2.2.4. Close-loop control configuration with hydrocyclone and DO set point

Fig. 7 displays the experimental setup for closed-loop control with hydrocyclone and DO set-point. The hydrocyclone
was used for solid/liquid separation. It separates the particles in a liquid suspension. This separation was based on
combination of centripetal force to fluid resistance and gravitational forces.
The fluid flow inside the hydrocyclone is presented in Fig. 8. The influent sewage was inserted into hydrocyclone to
create a vortex. The hydrocyclone has one inlet and two exits: one at the bottom (underflow) and one at the top (overflow).
The underflow of the hydrocyclone has a denser fraction, while the overflow consists of a lighter fraction.
Hydrocyclone was installed as a primary sludge separator which does not have any moving part in it. The feed stream
was characterized by the size, the density and viscosity of the solids and inlet pressure for solid–liquid separation. The
custom-made Rietema type hydrocyclone was used for the primary sludge separation from the influent wastewater
(Antunes and Medronho, 1992). The dimension of the hydrocyclone was calculated in proportion with the body diameter
Dc . The hydrocyclone body diameter (Dc ) was given as:
Q 0.54 ρ 0.31
Dc = 3.5 (2)
∆P 0.23 µ0.085
where the typical values of these design parameters for wastewater ρ : liquid density 1000 kg/m3 ; Q: feed volumetric
flow rate 30.72 m3 /h; µ: liquid viscosity 0.001 kg/ms; ∆P: Static pressure drop 0.8 bar = 0.8 × 105 kg/ms2 . Hydroclone’s
geometrical dimensions were calculated using (Antunes and Medronho, 1992), as presented in Table 2.
The experimental mean separation efficiency of hydrocyclone was 25%–30%. TSS was separated from influent before the
bioreactor, which reduces the aeration energy required for the treatment. It also reduces the secondary sludge production
in ASP.
8 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678

Fig. 7. Closed-loop configuration of WWTP for DO set-point control with hydrocyclone separator.

Fig. 8. Fluid-flow inside hydrocyclone.

3. Results and discussion

The performance of WWTP was analysed for different control configurations. The performance parameters for the
analysis were (i) Effluent quality (ii) Air supplied and dissolved oxygen (iii) Power factor and electrical energy consumption
for aeration.
 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678 9

Table 2
Geometric dimension of hydrocyclone.
Name of geometric dimension Value
Hydrocyclone body diameter (Dc ) 305.2 mm
Inlet diameter (Di ) 85.4 mm
Overflow diameter (Do ) 103.7 mm
Vortex finder length (l) 122 mm
Total length of the cyclone (L) 1526 mm
Length of the cylindrical part of the hydrocyclone (L1 ) 833 mm
L2 (L − L1 ) 693 mm
Underflow angle (Θ ) 10◦ –20◦
Underflow diameter (Du ) 30 mm

Fig. 9. (a) pH, (b) TSS, (c) COD, (d) BOD, (e) O&G, (f) Ammonical nitrogen, (g) Total phosphate, (h) Conductivity, (i) Total alkalinity and (j) TKN for
open-loop, open-loop with VFD, closed-loop, closed-loop with hydrocyclone configuration.

3.1. Effluent quality

Effluent quality for the open-loop and closed-loop conditions were analysed and compared for all four configurations.
For the effluent quality analysis, the WWTP was operated for 15 days regularly with the same configuration to achieve
the steady-state condition in the bioreactor. Then the samples were collected and analysed as per standard (Standards,
1988). Wastewater treatment was performed when the aeration was in open loop condition, which means the blower
supplies the compressed air in the bioreactor with its peak flow rate with continuous operation for 24 × 7. In closed-loop
configuration, the PLC was programmed in PID controller mode to manage the blower operation dynamically with the
change in DO level of the bioreactor. The DO set-point for the bioreactor was 2.00 PPM. The pH of the effluent was higher
than the influent, the rise in the pH value was average 3.93% in the effluent as presented in Fig. 9(a). The TSS concentration
for different control configurations is presented in Fig. 9(b). The average percentage removal of TSS was 76%. Effluent COD
and BOD average removal rates of 76.53% and 81.38% have been presented in Fig. 9(c) and (d), respectively. Fig. 9(e) and (f)
depict the effluent O&G and ammonical nitrogen concentration where the average removal rate was 87.50% and 92.00%,
respectively.
The removal rate of the total phosphate and TKN was higher in the closed-loop control than the open-loop control
system. The enhancement in the removal of phosphate and TKN is due to anoxic condition when bioreactor DO
concentration was >2.00 PPM (open-loop) and oxic was ≤2.00 PPM (closed-loop). The blower state transition made the
oxic and anoxic conditions. This improves the removal rate of total phosphate and TKN. Fig. 9(g) and (j) present the effluent
total phosphate concentration and TKN concentration. The average percentage of removals was found to be 63.64% and
76.48%, respectively. Fig. 9(h) and (i) display the effluent conductivity and total alkalinity. The conductivity of the effluent
was increased by 26.49% (avg.) and alkalinity was decreased by 13.75% (avg.) as compared to wastewater influent. It was
observed that effluent quality for all four control configurations was well within the limits.
10 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678

Fig. 10. (a) Air supplied per hour to the bioreactor, (b) Dissolved oxygen concentration in the bioreactor for various control configurations.

3.2. Air supplied and dissolved oxygen

The compressed air was supplied to the bioreactor for providing oxygen to the biological bacteria. These bacteria grow
and digests the faecal (biological) sludge in the bioreactor.
The DO concentration was 5.6 PPM in the open-loop and 2.0 PPM in the closed-loop configuration, as illustrated in
Fig. 10(b). The DO concentration set point limits the amount of air supplied to the bioreactor. In the open-loop control
configuration, the compressed air supplied was 212 m3 /h. When the closed-loop control was deployed with a set point of
2.0 PPM DO, the compressed air supplied reduced to 88 m3 /h and 79 m3 /h for closed-loop. The closed-loop with cyclone
separator configuration is exhibited in Fig. 10(a). The closed-loop control improves the Oxygen Uptake Rate (OUR) and
hydrocyclone further enhances the OUR due to 25%–30% removal of suspended solids additionally at the primary level
by hydrocycloning the influent. The removal of suspended solids at primary level increases the air diffusor efficiency and
life, hence reduction in the compressed air is required to maintain the DO set point in the bioreactor.

3.3. Saving of electrical energy for aeration

The VFD has come a long way in terms of reliability, efficiency, cost and ease of use (Everhart and Sanchez, 2004). The
deployment of the VFD is beneficial for the aeration blowers as it saves energy due to the affinity laws. VFD provides the
precise speed control for an alternating current (AC) motor. Additionally, it generates full torque and low motor speed.
VFD protects motor and wiring from overload currents. VFDs limit inrush currents to provide soft start and soft stop to
the AC motors. VFD has the inherent power factor correction, which enhances the efficiency (Creamer and Van Hemert,
2010). The power factor was improved to 0.9958 after the installation of VFD presented in Fig. 11(a).
It has improved energy effectualness of the aeration system. Fig. 11(b) shows that the aeration energy consumption
of the open-loop system without VFD was 1.2628 kWh/m3 and was reduced to 1.0420 kWh/m3 with VFD. The energy-
saving of 17.48% was observed with VFD whereas the energy-saving of 65.75% was observed with Closed-loop control
configuration. Further installation of hydrocyclone for the primary sludge separation saved 71.46% of aeration energy as
compared to the open-loop system.

3.4. Economic analysis

The investment made in the smart energy efficient wastewater treatment can be recovered in one year.

4. Conclusion

This paper proposed the control configuration that can be applied to WWTP through smart embedded controls. The
same can be done with primary sludge separation by hydrocycloning at a primary level to improve its performance. The
following are the conclusions of the experimental investigations performed on the WWTP at The LNMIIT Jaipur:-
 N. Khatri, K.K. Khatri and A. Sharma / Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 (2020) 100678 11

Fig. 11. (a) Power factor for different control configurations, (b) Electrical energy consumption in aeration for different control configurations.

• Installation of VFD improves the power factor by 17.15%, energy efficiency by 17.48% and operational stability with
the overload current protection.
• With the installation of the VFD and PLC-based PID controllers for 2.00 PPM DO set-point control in the bioreactor,
the high aeration energy efficiency was achieved by saving 65.74% aeration energy.
• Installation of hydrocyclone with smart aeration control reduced the aeration energy requirement by 71.46% as
compared to the open-loop system.
• The WWTP can be easily operated on the enhanced treatment capacity by implementing the DO control with the
hydrocycloning and some retrofitting in the tertiary treatment.
• The potential to save up to 41 176 kWh annual aeration energy consumption for the existing WWTP at the LNMIIT,
Jaipur

In addition, it enhances the treatment capacity through minor retrofitting in tertiary treatment. It significantly reduces
GHG emissions and protects the environment.

Declaration of competing interest

No author associated with this paper has disclosed any potential or pertinent conflicts which may be perceived to have
impending conflict with this work. For full disclosure statements refer to https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.100678.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Narendra Khatri: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Software, Investigation, Writing - original draft,
Writing - review & editing. Kamal Kishore Khatri: Conceptualization, Data curation, Writing - review & editing,
Supervision. Abhishek Sharma: Writing - review & editing, Supervision.

Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB), Jaipur for their support for
testing and analysis of the water samples during this research. The authors also thank Mr. Prateek Gang and Mr. Suwansh
Srivastava for their help in the design of the hydrocyclone.

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