Model predictive control of purple bacteria in raceway reactors: Handling microbial competition, disturbances, and performance

Purple Phototrophic Bacteria (PPB) are increasingly being applied in resource recovery from wastewater. Open raceway-pond reactors offer a more cost-effective option, but subject to biological and environmental perturbations. This study proposes a hierarchical control system based on Adaptive Generalized Model Predictive Control (AGMPC) for PPB raceway reactors. The AGMPC uses simple linear models updated adaptively to project the complex process dynamics and capture changes. The hierarchical approach uses the AGMPC controller to optimize PPB growth as the core of the system. The developed supervisory layer adjusts set-points for the core controller based on two operational scenarios: maximizing PPB concentration for quality, or increasing yield for quantity through effluent recycling. Lastly, due to competing PPB and non-PPB bacteria during start-up phase, an override strategy for this transition is investigated through simulation studies. The Purple Bacteria Model (PBM) simulates this process, and simulation results demonstrate the control system’s effectiveness and robustness. •A hierarchical MPC control system is developed for PPB raceway reactors.•The controller handles biological and meteorological perturbations effectively.•MPC control uses an adaptive model to capture nonlinear PPB dynamics.•Two proposed decision-making strategies improve process performance.•An override control for PPB and non-PPB competition start-up is proposed.