Abstract
Abstract Submerged Membranes Bioreactors (SMBR) are an established technology for wastewater treatment for water recovery and reuse. However, its routine application is still compromised by the high energy consumption to overcome the fouling effect. This study evaluated the effect of aluminum sulfate and cationic polymer in the orthophosphate removal and sludge filterability improvement in the mixed liquor of a SMBR pilot system. Parameters such as coagulant concentration, filtration time, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) reduction and orthophosphate removal were evaluated by using a jar-test and a stirred cell. As results, aluminum sulfate and polymer additions improved the filtration index (FI30) from 25% to 32 %, for both chemicals. Time-to-filter (TTF) results evidenced a positive and significant correlation between aluminum sulfate dosage and colloidal EPS reduction.
Highlights
The world’s population is increasing fast and it is estimated that by 2050 it will reach more than 6.4 billion people living in urban areas
The high removal of organic matter by Submerged Membrane Bioreactor (SMBR) is associated with the membrane separation capacity, since they represent an absolute barrier to the suspended solids, avoiding the solid matter escape with the supernatant effluent
The membrane partition enables organic compounds of greater molecular weight to be retained in the reactor, allowing higher retention time and biodegradation of the compounds by microorganisms in the biomass
Summary
The world’s population is increasing fast and it is estimated that by 2050 it will reach more than 6.4 billion people living in urban areas. The implications for planning and managing water resources are complex, with the potential to destabilize the world economy, given the intrinsic relationship between water-energyfood interfaces. In this interdisciplinary context, the effluents to be treated in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) deserve special attention and can no longer be seen as a waste, but as a valuable resource, worthy of recovery and reuse (Subtil et al, 2016; Verstraete et al, 2016). Despite the huge number of wastewater treatment technologies developed in recent decades, the Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plays an important role in water recovery and reuse alternatives in urban areas. The MBR technology, which combines a biological and a physical separation process (mainly using micro and ultrafiltration membranes - MF and UF) became a reliable and efficient alternative to be applied in urban wastewater treatment and water reuse (Le-Clech, 2010; Subtil et al, 2014)
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