Performance of membrane bioreactor combined with pre-coagulation/sedimentation

Abstract

This paper deals with the performance of a hybrid membrane bioreactor (MBR) combined with pre-coagulation/sedimentation. Primary clarifier effluent in a municipal wastewater treatment plant was fed into the hybrid MBR to investigate its performance during long-term operation. Pre-coagulation/sedimentation process efficiently removed the suspended solids including organic matter and phosphorus. Comparison of the hybrid MBR and conventional MBR was made in terms of the permeate quality and membrane fouling. As the organic loading to the MBR was significantly reduced by the pre-coagulation/sedimentation, production and accumulation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) may be limited. Therefore, the mixed liquor viscosity in the hybrid MBR was much lower than that in the conventional MBR. These effect caused by pre-coagulation/sedimentation brought a remarkable improvement in both permeate quality and membrane permeability.