Energy efficient control for smart wastewater treatment plants using self-powered wireless sensor networks

Efficient monitoring and control of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has become an important public issue as the cost of electricity continues to grow and the quality requirements of processed water tightens. However, the development, deployment, and maintenance of highly efficient monitors and controllers for wastewater processing tanks are significantly challenging and unaffordable, particularly for small- and medium-size WWTPs. Self-powered, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are an ideal candidate for this application, since their deployment would have the least impact on the existing infrastructure. In this paper, an energy efficient smart WWTP control scheme has been proposed based on a self-powered WSN. This design achieves sustainable monitoring and control of wastewater treatment.