Abstract
A submerged membrane bioreactor was used in the treatment of dairy wastewater, and three different sludge retention time (SRT) were evaluated. High removal efficiencies of organic matter, apparent color, and nutrients were observed for all the three conditions. However, the membrane fouling was considerably intense, and the concentration of soluble microbial products (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the critical flux of the system were analyzed for a better understanding of the reasons. Contrary to what other authors noticed, it was not possible to establish any relation between SMP concentration and fouling rate. In contrast, the EPS seem to have some influence on this phenomenon. The critical flux results justified the strong fouling observed, as almost all the measured values were below the established operational flux. The SRT of 60 d was selected as the best among the three evaluated because it resulted in lower EPS concentration and higher values of critical flux.
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