Model predictive control of anaerobic co-digestion: Experimental validation of a robust tube-based scheme

Anaerobic co-digestion; Biomethane; EKF; Experimental validation; NMPC; Robust control; Experimental validations; Model optimization; Model predictive controllers; Model-predictive control; Modelling controls; Modelling tools; Non-linear modelling; Nonlinear model predictive controller; Control and Systems Engineering; Computer Science Applications; Applied Mathematics; Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Abstract :

[en] Modeling, optimization and control tools may play a key role in improving the techno-economic performance of biomethane production via the anaerobic co-digestion process, helping to deal with the challenges that such plants will face in the next decades. Due to the intrinsic complexity of the process and associated safety considerations, industrial practice typically adopts conservative loading conditions that remain well below the maximum production potential. The objective is to safely modify the input diet to track improvements in biomethane flow rate. As model-based and predictive control techniques are of interest due to their inherent ability to optimize a cost function while ensuring constraint satisfaction, this study presents the experimental validation of a tube-based nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) for the anaerobic co-digestion of agro-industrial feedstocks. The NMPC framework employs a predictor based on a simple two-stage anaerobic digestion model extended with the hydrolytic step of multiple co-feedstocks, whereas the setpoints are set by an offline optimization carried out with a high-fidelity model. The controller is combined with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) which uses only biogas flow and composition data to estimate the unmeasurable states. A successful application of the proposed control scheme to a real bench-scale reactor is presented and benchmarked against a previously validated PI-based strategy.

Disciplines :

Electrical & electronics engineering
Biotechnology

Author, co-author :

Carecci, D. ; Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

Dewasme, Laurent ; Université de Mons - UMONS > Faculté Polytechnique > Service Systèmes, Estimation, Commande et Optimisation

Ficara, E. ; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

Vande Wouwer, Alain ; Université de Mons - UMONS > Faculté Polytechnique > Service Systèmes, Estimation, Commande et Optimisation

Ferretti, G. ; Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

García-Gen, S. ; Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Ambiental, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile

Language :

English

Title :

Model predictive control of anaerobic co-digestion: Experimental validation of a robust tube-based scheme

Publication date :

September 2026

Journal title :

Control Engineering Practice

ISSN :

0967-0661

eISSN :

1873-6939

Publisher :

Elsevier Ltd

Volume :

174

Pages :

107052

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0967066126002960?httpAccept=text/xml

Research unit :

F107 - Systèmes, Estimation, Commande et Optimisation

Research institute :

R100 - Institut des Biosciences
R200 - Institut de Recherche en Energie

Funders :

Ministero dell'Istruzione dell'Universita e della Ricerca
Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca
European Commission

Funding text :

This work was supported by A2A S.p.A., the European Union and the Italian Ministry of University and Research (National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mission 4, Component2, Investment 1.4 \u201CNational Research Center for Agricultural Technologies\u201D, Agritech CUP HUB - B63D21015240004). A special acknowledgment to Stefania Patronelli (R&D Project Manager, A2A S.p.A.) for her support.

Available on ORBi UMONS :

since 02 June 2026

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