Characterization and Comparison of a Membrane Bioreactor and a Conventional Activated-Sludge System in the Treatment of Wastewater Containing High-Molecular-Weight Compounds

1999 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazim Çiçek ◽  
Juan P. Franco ◽  
Makram T. Suidan ◽  
Vincent Urbain ◽  
Jacques Manem
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
High Molecular Weight ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
Activated Sludge System

Comparison of nitrification performance and microbial community between submerged membrane bioreactor and conventional activated sludge system

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Li ◽  
M. Yang ◽  
Y. Zhang ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
M. Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Nitrite Oxidation ◽  
Submerged Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
Activated Sludge System ◽  
Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

A submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) and a conventional activated sludge system (CAS) were compared in parallel over a period of more than 260 days on treating synthetic ammonia-bearing inorganic wastewater without sludge purge under decreased hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Conversion of NH4+-N to NO3--N was achieved with an efficiency of over 98% at an HRT ≥ 10 h in the SMBR, while similar performance was obtained at an HRT ≥ 20 h in the CAS. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified 16S rDNA was used to monitor variations of community structures in the two systems. With the prolongation of operation, the number of DGGE bands in the SMBR gradually increased from the initial 11 bands to the final 22 bands, whereas that in the CAS varied in a range between 13 and 183 Sequence analysis indicates that Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrospira sp. were the dominating nitrification species responsible for ammonia and nitrite oxidation, respectively. Heterotrophic bacteria like Pseudomonas sp. and Flavobacteria sp. existed in both of the systems although only inorganic wastewater was fed. Substantive accumulation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the SMBR was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and EPS analysis.

Comparison of two treatments for the removal of selected organic micropollutants and bulk organic matter: conventional activated sludge followed by ultrafiltration versus membrane bioreactor

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 733-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Sahar ◽  
M. Ernst ◽  
M. Godehardt ◽  
A. Hein ◽  
J. Herr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Macrolide Antibiotics ◽  
Organic Micropollutants ◽  
Removal Rates ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge

The potential of membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems to remove organic micropollutants was investigated at different scales, operational conditions, and locations. The effluent quality of the MBR system was compared with that of a plant combining conventional activated sludge (CAS) followed by ultrafiltration (UF). The MBR and CAS-UF systems were operated and tested in parallel. An MBR pilot plant in Israel was operated for over a year at a mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) range of 2.8–10.6 g/L. The MBR achieved removal rates comparable to those of a CAS-UF plant at the Tel-Aviv wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for macrolide antibiotics such as roxythromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin and slightly higher removal rates than the CAS-UF for sulfonamides. A laboratory scale MBR unit in Berlin – at an MLSS of 6–9 g/L – showed better removal rates for macrolide antibiotics, trimethoprim, and 5-tolyltriazole compared to the CAS process of the Ruhleben sewage treatment plant (STP) in Berlin when both were fed with identical quality raw wastewater. The Berlin CAS exhibited significantly better benzotriazole removal and slightly better sulfamethoxazole and 4-tolyltriazole removal than its MBR counterpart. Pilot MBR tests (MLSS of 12 g/L) in Aachen, Germany, showed that operating flux significantly affected the resulting membrane fouling rate, but the removal rates of dissolved organic matter and of bisphenol A were not affected.

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