Aeration model for submerged membrane bioreactor – Characterization, oxygen transfer rate, pollutant removal, and energy consumption

Abstract

The present study uses the Activated Sludge Model-1 and Hydromantis GPS-X modelling software to develop an aeration model for a submerged membrane bioreactor. PVDF membranes with an individual surface area of 10 m2 are used for the experiments. The Activated Sludge Model-1 method investigates the coarser and fine bubble aeration (FBA) systems. According to the study, the FBA system produced significantly better oxygen transfer efficiency and used considerably less energy to perform. The effect of fine and coarse bubble aeration on oxygen transfer efficiency study shows that fine bubble aeration produced 2.1 kg O2/kWh, which is higher than coarse bubble aeration 1.5 kg O2/kWh. The pollutant removal efficiency based on fine bubble aeration shows that the COD, BOD, TN, and TSS removal is obtained at around 93.97%, 96.61%, 95.30%, and 99.70%, respectively. According to the energy consumption assessment, FBA needed 135 kWh/m3, and coarse bubble aeration required 230 kWh/m3, representing 26.21% and 44.66%, of energy requirement, respectively. According to the experimental results, coarse bubbles needed 18.45% more energy for the same permeation. Furthermore, the influence of fine and coarse bubble aeration on membrane fouling found that membrane in FBA systems are less prone to fouling than in coarse bubble aeration systems.