Development of a novel fouling suppression system in membrane bioreactors using an intermittent electric field

Akamatsu, Kazuki; Lü, Wei; Sugawara, Takashi; Nakao, Shin-ichi

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2009.10.026

Cited by 125 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Similar finding was obtained by Akamatsu et al [45] using external cross-flow membrane module under electric field of 6 V/cm and switched on and off every 90 s in EMBR system. Followed by the success of this study, Akamatsu et al [46] replaced the platinum electrode with lower cost carbon cloth which intent to bring beneficial for large-scale application.…”

Section: Electrophoresis and Electrochemicalsupporting

confidence: 88%

An Overview of Electrically-enhanced Membrane Bioreactor (EMBR) for Fouling Suppression

Ho¹,

Teow²,

Ang³

et al. 2017

JESTR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Membrane fouling is the major challenges that hinders the widespread application of membrane bioreactor (MBR). Recently, application of electricity in electrically-enhanced MBR (EMBR) to suppress membrane fouling has gained much attention among research communities. This paper presents an overview of developments on EMBR for fouling suppression in wastewater treatment. The flow of electricity has stimulated several electrokinetic processes including electrophoresis/electrochemical process, and electrocoagulation which are the major fouling suppression mechanisms employed in EMBR. In electrophoresis, the membrane fouling is suppressed by the increased electrorepulsive force between negatively-charged foulants and cathode membrane under the influence of an electric field. Besides, electric field also induces simultaneous electrochemical oxidation and reduction which generate chemicals to degrade pollutant in wastewater. On top of that, use of active anode is reminiscent of electrocoagulation which produces cation coagulants in EMBR that capable to neutralize charge of the foulants and promotes flocs formation. This increases flocs size and sedimentation rate thereafter reduces adhesion of foulants on the membrane surface. Lastly, bioelectricity generation of microbial fuel cell (MFC) integrated with MBR to attain self-sustained EMBR has been studied. Self-sustained EMBR combines the advantages of MFC and MBR in treating wastewater and energy recovery simultaneously. Overall, it is evidenced that MBR and electrokinetic processes have a synergetic enhancement effect in EMBR system.

show abstract

Section: Electrophoresis and Electrochemicalsupporting

confidence: 88%

An Overview of Electrically-enhanced Membrane Bioreactor (EMBR) for Fouling Suppression

Ho¹,

Teow²,

Ang³

et al. 2017

JESTR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recent advances have demonstrated that the application of an electrical field to membrane bioreactors (electrically enhanced membrane bioreactors or electro membrane bioreactor, eMBR) can effectively reduce fouling (Chen et al, 2007;Akamatsu et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2012a). This method induces electrochemical mechanisms such as electrocoagulation, electroosmosis, and electrophoresis that help in degradation of pollutants and, at the same time, control the mobility, and deposition of foulants onto the membrane surface (Bani-Melhem and Elektorowicz, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depending on the pH of the solution, various metal species are produced during electrocoagulation which react with the pollutants leading to the destabilization and aggregation of suspended particles and the precipitation and adsorption of dissolved contaminants (Giwa et al, 2016). Moreover, the applied voltage also allows the negatively charged foulants such as activated sludge and secreted polymers to drift toward the oppositely charged electrode and away from the membrane via electrophoretic motion ( Figure 1A) (Chen et al, 2007;Akamatsu et al, 2010Akamatsu et al, , 2012. Consequently, electroosmotic force propels the removal of bound water from the microbial flocs electrical double layer which decreases the sludge specific resistance to filtration hence improving fouling control ( Figure 1B) (Ibeid et al, 2013a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…New and cheaper developments suggest that intermittent application of minute electric field also enhances membrane filterability and is similarly effective in controlling fouling as that with continuous DC field (Akamatsu et al, 2010(Akamatsu et al, , 2012Liu et al, 2012a,b). It also minimizes the direct exposure of bacteria to the electric field, hence, reducing the negative effects to microbial community (Akamatsu et al, 2010;Bani-Melhem and Elektorowicz, 2010;Liu et al, 2012a;Hasan et al, 2014). Some studies also focused on extracting internal energy contained in wastewater (e.g., 17.8-28.7 kJ/gCOD) (Heidrich et al, 2011) which can be used to offset the input of external DC field for fouling control.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Combination of Electrochemical Processes with Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater Treatment and Fouling Control: A Review

Ensano

Borea

Naddeo

et al. 2016

Front. Environ. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper provides a critical review about the integration of electrochemical processes into membrane bioreactors (MBR) in order to understand the influence of these processes on wastewater treatment performance and membrane fouling control. The integration can be realized either in an internal or an external configuration. Electrically enhanced membrane bioreactors or electro membrane bioreactors (eMBRs) combine biodegradation, electrochemical and membrane filtration processes into one system providing higher effluent quality as compared to conventional MBRs and activated sludge plants. Furthermore, electrochemical processes, such as electrocoagulation, electrophoresis, and electroosmosis, help to mitigate deposition of foulants into the membrane and enhance sludge dewaterability by controlling the morphological properties and mobility of the colloidal particles and bulk liquid. Intermittent application of minute electric field has proven to reduce energy consumption and operational cost as well as minimize the negative effect of direct current field on microbial activity which are some of the main concerns in eMBR technology. The present review discusses important design considerations of eMBR, its advantages as well as its applications to different types of wastewater. It also presents several challenges that need to be addressed for future development of this hybrid technology which include treatment of high strength industrial wastewater and removal of emerging contaminants, optimization study, cost benefit analysis and the possible combination with microbial electrolysis cell for biohydrogen production.

show abstract

“…Microfiltration of suspensions is a necessary and important process in the food industry as well as in wastewater treatment, water purification, and seawater desalination (Cheryan, 1998;Howe and Clark, 2002;Peleka et al, 2006;Yang et al, 2007;Espinasse et al, 2008;Huang et al, 2008;Akamatsu et al, 2010). In the dead-end microfiltration process, solid particles whose size is smaller than the pore of the membrane are transported by pressure-driven flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Simulation Model of Concentrated Particulate Flow in Pressure-Driven Dead-End Microfiltration

Ando

Akamatsu

Fujita

et al. 2010

J. Chem. Eng. Japan

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

dead-end microfiltration process, solid particles whose size is smaller than the pore of the membrane are transported by pressure-driven flow. During the filtration operation, there is a buildup of solid particles on the membrane surface; the particles form a layer called "cake" layer and they comprise solute particles that can not permeate the membrane. A major practical problem faced in the filtration process is "fouling," in which the "cake" layer increases the hydraulic resistance of the membrane and decreases the filtration performance. In order to suppress "fouling" in the pore and on the surface of the membrane, it is important to understand the dynamics of concentrated particles in a flow field and the mechanism of particle deposition. Backwashing is a necessary operation in a membrane system. It is important to understand the process of backwashing. So far, although numerous experiments have been carried out on membrane filtration, the processes occurring in the pore and on the surface of the membrane are still not well understood. In a recent experimental study, in situ measurement was carried out to understand the process of particle deposition during filtration (Mendret et al., 2007). However, in situ measurement and observations of the motion of nanoparticles are not sufficient. Visualization by numerical simulation can be of great help in understanding processes associated with the membrane system, such as "cake" layer formation and "fouling." Moreover, unlike experiments, in numerical simulation, physical conditions can be changed independently, so that we can understand particle dynamics effectively. In various filtration processes, if the buildup of the "cake" layer and the mechanism of "fouling" can be predicted and evaluated by numerical simulation, we will be able to predict the performance of the membrane system. Therefore, numerical simulation of the motion of particles as well as the motion of the solvent is expected to aid in visualizing the process of deposition of concentrated particles in the pores and on the surface of the membrane.Today, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is used to simulate the hydrodynamic interaction and it is useful for understanding the fouling process in dead-end microfiltration. We performed numerical simulations using a membrane model with a straight pore for particle concentrations of 2% and 5% and used the permeate flux and particle rejection to evaluate the filtration performance. The simulations reproduced the wellknown experimental fact that the decrease in the permeate flux increases with increasing particle concentration. Direct Simulation Model of Concentrated Particulate Flow in Pressure-Driven Dead-End MicrofiltrationSnapshots of particles dynamics obtained from the simulation are presented, and the difference between the fouling processes corresponding to the two particle concentrations is discussed. The starting point of fouling approached closer to the feed side of the membrane as the particle concentration increased. In addition, we d...

show abstract

Development of a novel fouling suppression system in membrane bioreactors using an intermittent electric field

Cited by 125 publications

References 20 publications

An Overview of Electrically-enhanced Membrane Bioreactor (EMBR) for Fouling Suppression

An Overview of Electrically-enhanced Membrane Bioreactor (EMBR) for Fouling Suppression

Combination of Electrochemical Processes with Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater Treatment and Fouling Control: A Review

Direct Simulation Model of Concentrated Particulate Flow in Pressure-Driven Dead-End Microfiltration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About