scholarly journals UV and bacteriophages as a chemical-free approach for cleaning membranes from anaerobic bioreactors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giantommaso Scarascia ◽  
Luca Fortunato ◽  
Yevhen Myshkevych ◽  
Hong Cheng ◽  
TorOve Leiknes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Filtration ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Chemical Cleaning ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Membrane Biofouling ◽  
Uv C

ABSTRACTAnaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for wastewater treatment has attracted much interest due to its efficacy in providing high quality effluent with minimal energy costs. However, membrane biofouling represents the main bottleneck for AnMBR because it diminishes flux and necessitates frequent replacement of membranes. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of combining bacteriophages and UV-C irradiation to provide a chemical-free approach to remove biofoulants on the membrane. The combination of bacteriophage and UV-C resulted in better log cells removal and twice higher extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) concentration reduction in mature biofoulants compared to UV-C. A reduction in the relative abundance of Acinetobacter spp. and selected gram-positive bacteria associated with the membrane biofilm was also achieved by the new cleaning approach. Microscopic analysis further revealed the formation of cavities in the biofilm due to bacteriophages and UV-C irradiation, which would be beneficial to maintain water flux through the membrane. When the combined treatment was further compared with the common chemical cleaning procedure, a similar reduction on the cell numbers was observed (1.4 log). However, combined treatment was less effective in removing EPS compared with chemical cleaning. These results suggest that the combination of UV-C and bacteriophage have an additive effect in biofouling reduction, representing a potential chemical-free method to remove reversible biofoulants on membrane fitted in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor.SIGNIFICANCEAnaerobic membrane bioreactors can achieve high quality effluent with a reduced energy consumption. However, biofouling represents the main bottleneck for membrane filtration efficiency. Biofouling is commonly reduced through chemical treatment. These agents are often detrimental for the environment and health safety due to the formation of toxic byproducts. Therefore, we present a new approach, based on the additive antifouling action of bacteriophages infection and UV-C irradiation, to reduce anaerobic membrane biofouling. This new strategy could potentially delay the occurrence of membrane fouling by removing the reversible fouling layers on membranes, in turn reducing the frequencies and amount of chemicals needed throughout the course of wastewater treatment.

scholarly journals UV and bacteriophages as a chemical-free approach for cleaning membranes from anaerobic bioreactors

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (37) ◽  
pp. e2016529118
Author(s):  
Giantommaso Scarascia ◽  
Luca Fortunato ◽  
Yevhen Myshkevych ◽  
Hong Cheng ◽  
TorOve Leiknes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Chemical Cleaning ◽  
Similar Reduction ◽  
Anaerobic Bioreactors ◽  
Membrane Biofouling ◽  
The Common ◽  
Uv C

Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for wastewater treatment has attracted much interest due to its efficacy in providing high-quality effluent with minimal energy costs. However, membrane biofouling represents the main bottleneck for AnMBR because it diminishes flux and necessitates frequent replacement of membranes. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of combining bacteriophages and UV-C irradiation to provide a chemical-free approach to remove biofoulants on the membrane. The combination of bacteriophage and UV-C resulted in better log cells removal and ca. 2× higher extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) concentration reduction in mature biofoulants compared to either UV-C or bacteriophage alone. The cleaning mechanism behind this combined approach is by 1) reducing the relative abundance of Acinetobacter spp. and selected bacteria (e.g., Paludibacter, Pseudomonas, Cloacibacterium, and gram-positive Firmicutes) associated with the membrane biofilm and 2) forming cavities in the biofilm to maintain water flux through the membrane. When the combined treatment was further compared with the common chemical cleaning procedure, a similar reduction on the cell numbers was observed (1.4 log). However, the combined treatment was less effective in removing EPS compared with chemical cleaning. These results suggest that the combination of UV-C and bacteriophage have an additive effect in biofouling reduction, representing a potential chemical-free method to remove reversible biofoulants on membrane fitted to an AnMBR.

scholarly journals Optimization of In Situ Backwashing Frequency for Stable Operation of Anaerobic Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rathmalgodage Thejani Nilusha ◽  
Tuo Wang ◽  
Hongyan Wang ◽  
Dawei Yu ◽  
Junya Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Filtration ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Ceramic Membrane ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Chemical Cleaning ◽  
Cake Layer

The cost-effective and stable operation of an anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) depends on operational strategies to minimize membrane fouling. A novel strategy for backwashing, filtration and relaxation was optimized for stable operation of a side stream tubular AnCMBR treating domestic wastewater at the ambient temperature. Two in situ backwashing schemes (once a day at 60 s/day, and twice a day at 60 s × 2/day) maintaining 55 min filtration and 5 min relaxation as a constant were compared. A flux level over 70% of the initial membrane flux was stabilized by in situ permeate backwashing irrespective of its frequency. The in situ backwashing by permeate once a day was better for energy saving, stable membrane filtration and less permeate consumption. Ex situ chemical cleaning after 60 days’ operation was carried out using pure water, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and citric acid as the order. The dominant cake layer was effectively reduced by in situ backwashing, and the major organic foulants were fulvic acid-like substances and humic acid-like substances. Proteobacteria, Firmucutes, Epsilonbacteria and Bacteroides were the major microbes attached to the ceramic membrane fouling layer which were effectively removed by NaOCl.

scholarly journals Swine manure treatment by anaerobic membrane bioreactor with carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus recovery

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (8) ◽  
pp. 1939-1949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Bu ◽  
Shiyun Du ◽  
Li Xie ◽  
Rong Cao ◽  
Qi Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Relaxation Rate ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Swine Manure ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
Methane Yield ◽  
Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor ◽  
Chemical Cleaning ◽  
Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor

Swine manure wastewater was treated in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) that combined a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane, and the feasibility of ammonia and phosphorus recovery in the permeate was investigated. The AnMBR system was operated steadily with a high mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration of 32.32 ± 6.24 g/L for 120 days, achieving an average methane yield of 280 mL/gVSadded and total chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 96%. The methane yield of the AnMBR is 83% higher than that of the single CSTR. The membrane fouling mechanism was examined, and MLSS and the polysaccharide contents of the extracellular polymeric substances were found to be the direct causes of membrane fouling. The effects of the permeation/relaxation rate and physical, chemical cleaning on membrane fouling were assessed for membrane fouling control, and results showed that a decrease in the permeation/relaxation rate together with chemical cleaning effectively reduced membrane fouling. In addition, a crystallization process was used for ammonia and phosphorus recovery from the permeate, and pH 9 was the optimal condition for struvite formation. The study has an instructive significance to the industrial applications of AnMBRs in treating high strength wastewater with nutrient recovery.

scholarly journals Brief review of operation of anaerobic wastewater treatment with membrane bioreactors

2019 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 00020
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Mucha ◽  
Włodzimierz Wójcik ◽  
Michał Polus
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Membrane Filtration ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
Membrane Bioreactors ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor

In recent years, anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) technology has been considered as a very appealing alternative for wastewater treatment due to its significant advantages over conventional anaerobic treatment and aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. The paper provides an overview of the current status of the anaerobic membrane bioreactor technology with a special emphasis on its performance and drawbacks when applied for domestic and municipal wastewater treatment. According to the reported data, the renewable energy produced at the plants (i.e. from methane) covered the energy demand for membrane filtration while the excess energy can be further utilized. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors are an attractive technology that needs further research efforts and applications at an industrial scale.

Ultrafiltration of activated sludge with ceramic membranes in a cross-flow membrane bioreactor process

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
X-j. Fan ◽  
V. Urbain ◽  
Y. Qian ◽  
J. Manem
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Ceramic Membrane ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Ceramic Membranes ◽  
Permeate Flux ◽  
Chemical Cleaning

A cross-flow membrane bioreactor (MBR) for raw municipal wastewater treatment, consisting of a suspended growth bioreactor and a ceramic membrane ultrafiltration unit, was run over a period of more than 300 days in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Sludge Retention Times (SRT) of 20, 10 and 5 days, respectively, and Hydraulic Retention Times (HRT) of 15 and 7.5 hours were tested. Membrane fouling was found to be a function of SRT and permeate flux. Under an SRT of 20 days and flux of 71 l/m2\ · h at 30°C, the MBR was successfully run over 70 days without the need for chemical cleaning. However chemical cleaning had to be undertaken every 3–5 days at shorter sludge retention times (typically an SRT of five days and a flux of 143 l/m2\ · h at 30°C). In this study, fouling materials were removed efficiently through chemical cleaning, with an average permeablity recovery of 87±11%.

scholarly journals Membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment: A review of microbial quorum sensing and quenching to control membrane biofouling based on engineering quorum quenching bacteria

2020 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 04026
Author(s):  
Xinmeng Jiao ◽  
Kang Xie ◽  
Liping Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Quorum Quenching ◽  
Membrane Bioreactors ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Membrane Biofouling ◽  
New Strategy

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a kind of reputable and prospective technology for wastewater treatment and reformation applications. However, membrane fouling caused by the formation of biofilm on the membrane surface, especially biofouling, is a major obstacle that limits the energy-saving operation and maintenance of the membrane bioreactor (MBR). Microbial communication (known as Quorum Sensing (QS)) is the cause of this fouling phenomenon. A new strategy called Quorum Quenching (QQ) seems to have been successfully used for biological pollution control in wastewater treatment MBR. This review summarizes the latest findings regarding membrane fouling, QS mechanisms and QQ applications. We discussed the opportunities for further practical application of self-cleaning engineering QQ bacteria in MBR.

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