Optimal Control of MSWI Processes Using an RBF-IPOA Strategy for Enhanced Combustion Efficiency and NOX Reduction

As urbanization accelerates, solid waste volume increases, making municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) a primary disposal method. However, low combustion efficiency and harmful gas emissions, such as nitrogen oxides (NOX), contribute to significant environmental pollution. Improving combustion efficiency and reducing pollutants are critical challenges in waste incineration. Due to the process’s complexity and operational fluctuations, traditional PID and model-based methods often fail to deliver optimal results, making this a key research focus. To address this, this paper proposes an optimal control method for the solid waste incineration process, aimed at improving combustion efficiency and reducing emissions. By establishing Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network prediction models for CO, CO2, and NOX, and integrating an improved Pelican Optimization Algorithm (IPOA), an optimized control strategy for air volume and pressure settings is developed. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly enhances combustion efficiency while effectively reducing NOX emissions. Furthermore, under varying operational conditions, the method can adaptively adjust the air volume and pressure settings, ensuring system adaptability to new conditions and maintaining both combustion efficiency and NOX emission concentrations within target ranges.