Membrane fouling suppression using intermittent electric current with low exposure time in a sequencing batch membrane bioreactor

Souza, Emerson; Follmann, Hioná Valéria Dal Magro; Dalri-Cecato, Leonardo; Battistelli, André Aguiar; Lobo-Recio, María Ángeles; Belli, Tiago José; Lapolli, Flávio Rubens

doi:10.1016/j.jece.2020.104018

Cited by 27 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Hou et al [47] obtained partial mitigation of the membrane fouling to approximately 0.42-0.53 × 10 11 m −1 h −1 by the application of a micro-electric field. Furthermore, Souza et al [48] reported that the application of electric field allowed the attenuation of the membrane fouling rate to 0.24 × 10 11 m −1 h −1 , which resulted comparable to the lowest values obtained in the present study although without using electric energy. Therefore, lowering the EPS content in the sludge by driving the conversion of the exogenous carbon toward PHA rather EPS resulted in a lower fouling tendency of the membrane.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Membrane Fouling Tendency and Mechanismssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The findings of this study suggested that operating with the activated sludge enriched in PHA storing microorganisms and by applying proper operating conditions that promote PHA production, involved a lower conversion of the organic carbon into EPS, which corresponded to a lower membrane-fouling tendency. Compared with other MBR operating under similar F/M, the EPS content in the mixed liquor in the present study was about 30–40% lower, on average [ 11 , 48 , 49 ]. Consequently, given the well-recognized role of the EPS in the membrane fouling, low content of such substances in the mixed liquor reduced the membrane-fouling tendency and did not lead to problems in membrane operation in the long term.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 47%

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Membrane Fouling Mitigation in MBR via the Feast–Famine Strategy to Enhance PHA Production by Activated Sludge

et al. 2022

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Fouling is considered one of the main drawbacks of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. Among the main fouling agents, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are considered one of the most impactful since they cause the decrease of sludge filterability and decline of membrane flux in the long term. The present study investigated a biological strategy to reduce the membrane-fouling tendency in MBR systems. This consisted of seeding the reactor with activated sludge enriched in microorganisms with polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) storage ability and by imposing proper operating conditions to drive the carbon toward intracellular (PHA) rather than extracellular (EPS) accumulation. For that purpose, an MBR lab-scale plant was operated for 175 days, divided into four periods (1–4) according to different food to microorganisms’ ratios (F/M) (0.80 kg COD kg TSS−1 d−1 (Period 1), 0.13 kg COD kg TSS−1 d−1 (Period 2), 0.28 kg COD kg TSS−1 d−1 (Period 3), and 0.38 kg COD kg TSS−1 d−1 (Period 4)). The application of the feast/famine strategy favored the accumulation of intracellular polymers by bacteria. The increase of the PHA accumulation inside the cells corresponded to the decrease of EPS and an F/M of 0.40–0.50 kg COD kg TSS−1 d−1 was found as optimum to maximize the PHA production, while minimizing EPS. The lowest EPS content in the sludge (18% of total suspended solids) that corresponded to the maximum content of PHA (9.3%) was found in Period 4 and determined significant mitigation of the fouling rate, whose value was close to 0.10 × 1011 m−1 h−1. Thus, by imposing proper operating conditions, it was possible to drive the organic matter toward PHA accumulation. Moreover, a lower EPS content corresponded to a decrease in the irreversible fouling mechanism, which would imply a lower frequency of the extraordinary cleaning operations. This study highlighted the possibility of obtaining a double benefit by applying an MBR system in the frame of wastewater valorization: minimizing the fouling tendency of the membrane and recovery precursors of bioplastics from wastewater in line with the circular economy model.

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Section: Evaluation Of Membrane Fouling Tendency and Mechanismssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 47%

Membrane Fouling Mitigation in MBR via the Feast–Famine Strategy to Enhance PHA Production by Activated Sludge

et al. 2022

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“…The literature thus offers much evidence that the affinity between solutes and membranes, described by parameters such as sorption and aggregation of solutes on membrane surfaces and into the membrane pores, is the dominant factor governing fouling. Accordingly, approaches based on tailoring membrane surface properties have been suggested to minimize fouling [ 15 , 16 ]. Generally, hydrophilic membranes present improved anti-fouling and flux recovery properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of Anti-fouling and UV-Cleaning Properties of PVDF/TiO2 Mixed-Matrix Membrane for Humic Acid Removal

et al. 2020

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Natural organic matters (NOMs) have been found to be the major foulant in the application of ultrafiltration (UF) for treating surface water. Against this background, although hydrophilicity has been demonstrated to aid fouling mitigation, other parameters such as membrane surface morphology may contribute equally to improved fouling resistance. In this work, with humic acid solution as the model substance, the effects of titanium dioxides (TiO2) types (PC-20, P25, and X500) on membrane anti-fouling and defouling properties were comparatively analysed. The aims are (1) to determine the correlation between membrane surface morphology and membrane fouling and (2) to investigate the anti-fouling and UV-cleaning abilities of PVDF/TiO2 mixed-matrix membranes with different membrane topographies and surface energy conditions. The mixed-matrix membrane with P25 TiO2 exhibited the most significant UV-defouling ability, with a high irreversible flux recovery ratio (IFRR(UV)) of 16.56 after 6 h of UV irradiation, whereas that with X500 TiO2 exhibited both superior anti-fouling and defouling properties due to its smoother surface and its highly reactive surface layer.

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“…The TMP measurements revealed an increase during the operational period, which is consistent with previous studies 16,17 . These studies have reported that membrane fouling can lead to a decline in permeate flux or an increase in TMP, depending on the operational mode 18 .…”

Section: Effect Of Wastewater Temperature On the Performance Of A Des...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving High Removal Efficiency and Membrane Sustainability in Pulp and Paper Industry MBR System

Kalshan,

Dhankhar,

Narwal

et al. 2024

Orient. J. Chem

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This study investigates the design, configuration, and optimization of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for the amelioration of industrial effluent. The study focuses on mitigating membrane fouling and reusing the treated wastewater. The MBR system is designed and configured with different operating parameters, including nano-bubble technology and hydraulic retention time (HRT), to optimize the removal efficiency of pollutants. The effect of HRT on the percentage elimination of pollutants in the wastewater treated by MBR systems is investigated, and the dynamic relationship between the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and HRT is studied to optimize the biological treatment process. The relationship between permeate flux and temperature is also investigated to optimize the operational conditions of MBR systems. Trans-membrane pressure monitoring and cleaning techniques are employed to mitigate membrane fouling in MBR systems. It is assessed if it is feasible to reuse the treated wastewater for commercial purposes. According to the data, the MBR system with nano-bubble technology and a 12-hour HRT had the best pollution removal effectiveness (97.5%). It was discovered that the dynamic link between MLSS and HRT was crucial for optimising the biological treatment procedure, and that 25°C was the ideal temperature for MBR operation. The treated wastewater was found to be suitable for reuse in industrial applications, and the trans-membrane pressure monitoring and cleaning approaches were successful in reducing membrane fouling. With the potential to improve both the environment and the economy, the study's findings offer important insights into the design of long-term, sustainable MBR systems for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

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Membrane fouling suppression using intermittent electric current with low exposure time in a sequencing batch membrane bioreactor

Cited by 27 publications

References 46 publications

Membrane Fouling Mitigation in MBR via the Feast–Famine Strategy to Enhance PHA Production by Activated Sludge

Membrane Fouling Mitigation in MBR via the Feast–Famine Strategy to Enhance PHA Production by Activated Sludge

Investigation of Anti-fouling and UV-Cleaning Properties of PVDF/TiO2 Mixed-Matrix Membrane for Humic Acid Removal

Achieving High Removal Efficiency and Membrane Sustainability in Pulp and Paper Industry MBR System

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