For the cost-effective biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process whose characteristics of influent have low COD/N ratios, the automatic control system for the addition of external carbon based on oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) data in an anoxic reactor has been developed. In this study, it was carried out with a pilot-scale Bardenpho process which was consisted of anoxic 1, aerobic 1, aerobic 2, anoxic 2, aerobic 3 tank and clarifier. Firstly, the correlation coefficient (R2) of the dosage of external carbon source and ORP value was about 0.97. Consequently, the automatic control system using ORP showed that the dosage of external carbon source was decreased by about 20% compared with a stable dosage of 75 mg/L based on the COD/N ratio of the anoxic influent.

The purpose of this research was evaluated economical effect to apply alternative external carbon source. Conventional activated sludge process in municipal wastewater treatment plant was adapted and introduced to Biological nutrient removal processes to meet the newly enforced effluent quality standard for nutrient removal in Korea. Low COD/NH4+-N ratio and higher nutrient concentration of influent characteristics force to inject external carbon source for denitrifying recycled nitrate. In the most case, methanol was used as external carbon source. But Methanol is expensive and very dangerous in handling. So we could find cheaper and safer external carbon source substituted methanol in last study. This alternative external carbon source is named RCS(recoverd carbon source) and a by-product of fine chemical product at chemical plant. When RCS was applied real municipal wastewater treatment plant, average 55~65% of T-N removal efficiency, 8.8mg/l of effluent T-N concentration, 11.3mg/l of effleunt COD concentration were obtained without effluent COD increase as against used methanol. To apply RCS in municipal wastewater treatment plant obtain approximately 74.5% expenditure cost reduction in comparison with methanol dosage cost.