WC142 MayJune 2025 - Magazine - Page 33
INNOVATION
Even when using supervisory control and data acquisition
(SCADA) systems plants still depend on manual inputs or
昀椀xed setpoints pre-de昀椀ned by operators.
AI Meets Wastewater
Exploring how arti昀椀cial intelligence is improving plant performance, e昀케ciency, and sustainability
Getty Images
BY AHMED ALSAYED AND ELSAYED ELBESHBISHY
OST WASTEWATER treatment plants
(WWTPs) rely on personnel with specialized process knowledge to adjust
conditions in response to upsets, influent
variability, or seasonal and environmental
changes. These decisions are often guided by laboratory-based monitoring data, such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), solids, and nutrient
M
Ahmed AlSayed is an Advanced
Lead Researcher at Veolia Water
Technologies & Solutions.
concentrations. Even when using supervisory control
and data acquisition (SCADA) systems—equipped
with online sensors, valves, and controllers—plants still
depend on manual inputs or fixed setpoints predefined
by operators. On the other hand, rapid technological
advancement has brought innovative solutions for
WWTP service.
This is where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
learning (ML) can make a significant contribution—by
helping plants move from reactive operations to data-driven, adaptive decision-making.
But before diving into their applications, let’s take a
moment to clarify what AI and ML actually mean in
this context.
Elsayed Elbeshbishy
is a Professor at Toronto
Metropolitan University.
WATER C AN ADA • M AY/JUNE 2025
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