Performance evaluation and microbial community analysis of a continuous stirred tank reactor–anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor system for practical swine wastewater treatment

• Published in: Journal of water process engineering 2024-09, Vol.66, p.105969, Article 105969
• Main Authors: Shi, Lixiu, Yang, Tao, Yuan, Jicheng, Zhou, Quan, Xu, Zhecheng, Xu, Yaqing, Duan, Antong, Luo, Guina, Chen, Hong, Bei, Ke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor; COD removal; Continuous stirred tank reactor; Microbial community; Practical swine wastewater
• ISSN: 2214-7144; 2214-7144
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.105969

To treat swine wastewater from a practical piggery, a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR)–anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) was operated for 201 days. A high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 95 % and biogas production rate of 0.31 L/L·d were achieved at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.19 g-COD/L·d. Although the free ammonia concentration reached a maximum of 200 mg/L during the last operational phase, no evident inhibitory effect on AnCMBR performance was observed. Microbial community analyses indicated that six bacterial phyla were responsible for the hydrolysis, acidification, and fermentation of organics and environmental stabilization. Hydrotrophic methanogenic archaea were dominant, indicating that the main methane production pathway involved the use of H2 and CO2 as substrates. The results demonstrated that CSTR–AnCMBR systems exhibit excellent organics removal performance and energy recovery at high organic concentrations and possess strong anti-shock ability. Thus, they represent alternative green and sustainable anaerobic technologies for practical swine wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] •A CSTR–AnCMBR system was used for practical swine wastewater treatment.•A COD removal efficiency of 95 % and a 0.31 L/L·d biogas production rate were achieved.•The CSTR–AnCMBR system exhibited strong anti-shock load ability.•The AnCMBR was capable of enriching functional microbes.