Calibration of ASM-SMP Model Under Specific Experimental Conditions for Membrane Bioreactor Application

Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are nowadays increasingly used in the urban wastewater treatment field, particularly those with submerged configuration. This interest in MBR goes necessarily with the need to develop models that are able to describe accurately their operation. In this paper, two biological pathways are introduced to evaluate the influence of heterotrophic biomass growing on substrate that is coming exclusively from the decay of autotrophic biomass. The aim of this work is indeed to assess the importance of heterotrophic biomass growing on debris of autotrophic biomass when no exogenous carbon sources are available. Consequently, a modified ASM1 model called ASM1-SMP model is developed and then calibrated. The obtained model is used to investigate the influence of operand parameters on soluble organic matter. Simulations highlight the growth potential of one fraction (SUAP) of this unconventional carbon source and the advantage of heterotrophic bacteria to decrease the SOM concentration. Nevertheless, SBAP was found to be poorly biodegradable and then dangerously rises in the reactor in case of total retention by the membrane cut-off.