An experimental study on the use of a sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor (SBMBR) for the treatment of mixed municipal wastewater

• Published in: Water science and technology 2021-03, Vol.83 (6), p.1459-1469
• Main Authors: Gao, Yulan, Yang, Jie, Song, Xinwei, Shen, Dongmei, Wang, Wanfen, Zhang, Weimin, Jiang, Jichao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonia; Batch reactors; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Bioreactors; Chemical oxygen demand; Cleaning; Effluents; Experiments; Filtration; Hydraulics; membrane cleaning; Membrane filtration; membrane fouling; Membrane separation; Membranes; mixed municipal wastewater; Municipal wastewater; Nitrogen; nitrogen and phosphorus removal; Operating costs; Oxygen requirement; Phosphorus; Phosphorus removal; Pollutant removal; Pollutants; Process controls; Recovery; Removal; Sedimentation & deposition; Sequencing; Sequencing batch reactor; sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor; Sewage; Sewage treatment plants; Sludge; Turbidity; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Waste Water; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Water pollution; Water quality; Water shortages; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2021.064

Several water treatment techniques have been combined using the sequencing batch reactor with the membrane bioreactor for addressing water pollution. However, cleaning of the membrane is dependent on the approach involved as well as the operating conditions. In the present study, the sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor was used to treat real mixed municipal wastewater. The pollutant removal and membrane filtration performances were examined. The results show that the average removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen, NH -N, total phosphorus, and turbidity were 90.75, 63.52, 92.85, 87.58, and 99.48%, respectively, when the system was in continuous operation for 95 days. The membrane had a significant effect on COD and turbidity removal and provided stable performances for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. By observing the appearance of the membrane modules before and after the cleaning operation, it was concluded that the deposited sludge and granular sediment on the membrane surface can be effectively removed by hydraulic cleaning. In addition, recovery of membrane filtration performance to 60% of that of a new membrane can be achieved. Furthermore, we found that different sequences and duration of cleaning have different effects on the recovery of membrane filtration performance.