Integrated real-time control strategy for nitrogen removal in swine wastewater treatment using sequencing batch reactors

A new integrated real-time control system was designed and operated with fluctuating influent loads for swine wastewater treatment. The system was operated with automatic addition control of an external carbon source, using real-time control technology, which utilized the oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and the pH as parameters to control the anoxic phase and oxic phase, respectively. The fluctuations in swine wastewater concentration are extreme; an influent with a low C/N ratio is deficient in organic carbon, and a low carbon source level can limit the overall biological denitrification process. Consequently, a sufficient organic source must be provided for proper denitrification. The feasibility of using swine waste as an external carbon source for enhanced biological nitrogen removal was investigated. The real-time control made it possible to optimize the quantity of swine waste added as the load fluctuated from cycle to cycle. The average removal efficiencies achieved for TOC and nitrogen were over 94% and 96%, respectively, using the integrated real-time control strategy.