A Review on Membrane Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors: Control and Mitigation

Abstract

The growing interest toward the effective treatment of wastewater of different origin has increased worldwide, where membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology appears as the most appropriate treatment system. Membrane provides solid–liquid separation in MBRs and releases high-quality effluents which could be further reused for different purposes. The conventional biological treatment system often faces challenge of sludge disposal and requires larger footprint for their operation. These issues can be combated using MBR systems. However, MBR system associates with the membrane fouling problems, which limits its widespread application in wastewater treatment systems. Membrane fouling requires repeated cleaning that may reduce the membrane life span and frequent membrane replacement which incurs high cost. Membrane fouling leads to increase in transmembrane pressure (TMP), rapid declination of permeate flux, and increase in filtration resistance. The main factors that influence the membrane fouling are membrane characteristics, biomass characteristics, operating conditions, and membrane configuration. To address the recent advances made in MBR fouling, this paper reviews the mechanism, influencing factors, and methods for controlling and preventing membrane fouling. In addition, this chapter also deliberates the use of various adsorbents for controlling membrane fouling in MBRs.