An automated, sensor-based control system for wastewater treatment plants to improve the reuse of treated wastewater.

Abstract

An automated, sensor-based control system for wastewater treatment plants for improved reuse of treated wastewater, comprising: an inlet monitoring unit consisting of a first array of sensors for recording quality parameters of the incoming wastewater; a wastewater monitoring unit with a second array of sensors for monitoring quality parameters of the treated wastewater, the second array of sensors being configured to measure biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonia, turbidity, and flow rate; a processing unit configured to receive real-time data from the inlet and effluent monitoring units and evaluate the quality parameters of the treated wastewater against predefined reuse standards;an automated barrier mechanism operationally linked to the processing unit and configured to regulate the flow of treated wastewater based on the compliance determined by the processing unit, whereby the automated barrier mechanism only allows the passage of compliant treated wastewater for reuse purposes and blocks or diverts non-compliant treated wastewater; and an alarm and warning system operationally linked to the processing unit and configured to generate notifications when the quality parameters deviate from the preset reuse standards.