Machine-learning-based predictive control of anaerobic digestion considering meteorological conditions
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Complex Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rzeszow University of Technology, ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 8, 35-036 Rzeszów, Poland
2
Institute of Telecommunications and Cybersecurity, AGH University of Krakow, ul. Czarnowiejska 74, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
3
Department of Environmental Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszow University of Technology, ul. Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
4
Faculty of Mathematics and Applied Physics, Rzeszow University of Technology, Al. Powstańców Warszawy 8, 35-029 Rzeszów, Poland
Publication date: 2026-08-04
Corresponding author
Patryk Organiściak
Department of Complex Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rzeszow University of Technology, ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 8, 35-036 Rzeszów, Poland
Adv. Sci. Technol. Res. J. 2026; 20(11)
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Efficient control of the anaerobic digestion process in municipal wastewater treatment plants poses an engineering challenge due to the high inertia of the system and the impact of uncontrolled external disturbances. This paper presents a novel approach to optimizing feedstock composition (the ratio of primary to excess sludge) to maximize biogas production. Unlike classical control methods, the proposed solution accounts for the impact of exogenous factors ambient temperature and precipitation which determine the physicochemical parameters of raw sludge. To build an effective model on a limited dataset, a spatial disaggregation technique was applied, merging data from four parallel digestion chambers. A hybrid decision-making system was developed, integrating a random forest model with a genetic algorithm (GA). The resulting predictive model achieved accuracy (R2 = 0.77, MAPE = 7.33) under LODO validation, indicating that incorporating time delays in weather data allows for precise prediction of efficiency drops. The application of the evolutionary algorithm in a one-day numerical case study enabled the determination of optimal operational setpoints, indicating the potential for increased energy yield under difficult environmental conditions. Rather than a real-time autonomous control system, the presented solution constitutes a predictive optimization framework and a functional module for a decision support system (DSS), enabling a transition from reactive to prescriptive strategies.