Membrane Fouling In Membrane Bioreactor Research Articles

Difference in membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) caused by membrane polymer materials

There is a need for efficient control of membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs), but there is still an insufficient understanding of the phenomena of membrane fouling and little is known about the influence of polymeric membrane materials on membrane fouling in MBRs. In this study, the influence of polymeric membrane materials on membrane fouling in MBRs was investigated on the basis of results of a pilot-scale experiment using real municipal wastewater. Two different polymers, polyethylene (PE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), were examined side by side and the degree of fouling in each membrane was monitored. Also, analysis of the foulants in both membranes was carried out. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that PVDF is superior to PE in terms of prevention of irreversible fouling in MBRs used for treatment of municipal wastewater. Dissolved matter was mainly responsible for the irreversible fouling. Reversible fouling in the PVDF membrane might be related to an increase in sub-micron-sized organic matter that was mainly composed of carbohydrate. Composition of the foulants causing irreversible fouling differed considerably depending on the membrane polymeric materials. The results suggested that some fractions in organic matter in the mixed liquor have higher affinities with the membrane than do other fractions and consequently cause greater irreversible fouling.

Membrane Fouling in Pilot-Scale Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) Treating Municipal Wastewater

The main obstacle for wider use of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for wastewater treatment is membrane fouling (i.e., deterioration of membrane permeability),which increases operating costs. For more efficient control of membrane fouling in MBRs, an understanding of the mechanisms of membrane fouling is important. However, there is a lack of information on membrane fouling in MBRs, especially information on features of components that are responsible for the fouling. We conducted a pilot-scale experiment using real municipal wastewater with three identical MBRs under different operating conditions. The results obtained in this study suggested that the food-microorganisms ratio (F/M) and membrane filtration flux were the important operating parameters that significantly influenced membrane fouling in MBRs. Neither concentrations of dissolved organic matter in the reactors nor viscosity of mixed liquor, which have been thought to have influences on fouling in MBRs, showed clear relationships with membrane fouling in this study. Organic substances that had caused the membrane fouling were desorbed from fouled membranes of the MBRs at the termination of the operation and were subjected to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. These analyses revealed that the nature of the membrane foulant changes depending on F/M. It was shown that high F/M would make the foulant more proteinaceous. Carbohydrates were dominant in membrane foulants in this study, while features of humic substances were not apparent.

Membrane Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater Treatment

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs), in which membranes are applied to biological wastewater treatment for biomass separation, provide many advantages over conventional treatment. However, membrane fouling in MBRs restricts their widespread application because it reduces productivity and increases maintenance and operating costs. Recently much research and development has taken place to investigate, model, and control membrane fouling processes. However, unified and well-structured theories on membrane fouling are not currently available because of the complexity of the biomass matrix, which is highly heterogeneous and includes living microorganisms. Membrane fouling in MBR systems can be reversible (i.e., removable by physical washing) or irreversible (removable by chemical cleaning only), and can take place on the membrane surface or into the membrane pores. Although establishing a general model to describe membrane fouling in such a process is made extremely difficult by the inherent heterogeneity of the syste...