Validation of a new model for biological nutrient removal

A new model for the simulation of biological processes of carbonaceous substrate and nutrient removal has been developed for steady-state conditions. This paper reports the results of a first validation of this model on a pilot-scale plant. The pilot plant, with a University of Cape Town ?UCT? configuration, was operated for 100 days with a high sludge age and was fed with raw sewage, with a significant fraction of industrial effluents and with a strong variability in organic and nutrient loads. The comparison between the experimental results and the calculated ones showed a good fitting. The variations in the influent organic concentration made it difficult to reach steady-state conditions. Nevertheless, the results showed that, as the experimental period was longer than three sludge ages, the experimental data closely approached those calculated with the model.