Fermentation Wastewater Treatment in a Membrane Bioreactor

High efficiency degradation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) using a membrane bioreactor: identification of THF-degrading cultures of Pseudonocardia sp. strain M1 and Rhodococcus ruber isolate M2

“…Reactor biomass concentrations were within the range reported for other MBR systems [8,9,21,34]; however, concentrations as high as 60 g/l cell dry weight have been reported [20]. The high biomass concentrations in the MBR caused difficulties in maintaining reactor DO, in part because increasing the VSS increases the biomass viscosity [3] while the oxygen transfer coefficient decreases [24].…”

“…Retention of soluble high molecular weight compounds keeps slowly degradable compounds in the bioreactor while non-degradable compounds are discharged with the sludge [16]. The system is capable of handling fluctuations in waste influent concentrations due to the high biomass concentration in the reactor [21]. High biomass concentrations can lead to decreased oxygen transfer rates and a decline in permeate flow, both of which can adversely affect system performance.…”

“…Retention of all microorganisms results in high biomass concentrations in the bioreactor, which allow the system to treat high-strength wastewater resulting in a system with a relatively small footprint. MBR technology has been successfully applied to treat a variety of high-strength wastes including high molecular weight compounds [8,34], organic wastes containing surfactants [19], fermentation wastewater [21], phenol [20], contaminated gas streams [11,27,28] and industrial waste [29]. Retention of soluble high molecular weight compounds keeps slowly degradable compounds in the bioreactor while non-degradable compounds are discharged with the sludge [16].…”

Membranes for industrial microfiltration and ultrafiltration

“…The biomass concentration in the system can reach values 10 times higher than those obtained in conventional plants ( Zenon Environmental b.v., 1995). A highly concentrated activated sludge process has also been combined with rotary disk type UF membranes in the treatment of fermentation wastewaters (Lu et al, 1999).…”

Membrane Biological Reactors

“…Yang et al (2006) argued that extractive or aeration MBRs present a significant opportunity for researchers as niche areas of application as these novel processes remain unexplored. Hazardous waste treatment and toxic waste cleanup present two potential areas for the EMBR (Brookes and Livingston, 1994;Dossantos and Livingston, 1995;Livingston et al, 1998), whereas hydrogenotrophic denitrification of groundwater (Clapp et al, 1999;Mo et al, 2005;Modin et al, 2008;Nuhoglu et al, 2002;Rezania et al, 2005) and gas-extractionassisted fermentation (Daubert et al, 2003;Lu et al, 1999) are potential research areas for the AMBR. It is also important to recognize the fact that these three membrane processes are not mutually exclusive and, if necessary, could be coupled into one bioreactor (Brindle and Stephenson, 1996).…”