Applying hybrid artificial intelligence techniques in wastewater treatment

Abstract This paper proposes an automatic control system for the operation of the wastewater treatment process, by applying hybrid artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in real-time control. The main goal of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is to reduce the level of pollution of the wastewater; that is, to remove, within certain limits, strange pollutants in the inflow water prior to discharge to the environment. Most WWTP designs, based on the crisis condition, waste resources and energy, and also reduce the cost effectiveness of reaching permissible effluent levels. The application of AI techniques in wastewater treatment provides an alternative way to operate the complex treatment process, to reduce the energy consumption in the operation, and to improve the efficiency of the treatment equipment. The entire system was developed in G2, a real-time expert system developed by Gensym Corporation.