Wastewater treatment using membrane bioreactor and reverse osmosis process

• Published in: Desalination and water treatment 2013-07, Vol.51 (25-27), p.5298-5306
• Main Authors: Chung, Jinwook, Kim, Jong-Oh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of waters; Biotechnology; Chemical engineering; Color; Environment and pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General purification processes; Hydraulic retention time; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Membrane bioreactor; Membrane separation (reverse osmosis, dialysis...); Membranes; Osmosis; Pollution; Reverse osmosis; Sewage; Total nitrogen; Total phosphorous; Turbidity; Wastewater treatment; Wastewaters; Water treatment; Water treatment and pollution
• ISSN: 1944-3986; 1944-3994; 1944-3986
• DOI: 10.1080/19443994.2013.768769

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on removal efficiencies of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus in membrane bioreactors-reverse osmosis (MBR-RO) process for treating synthetic sewage. In MBR process, turbidity was less than average 2 NTU and average removal efficiency showed more than 99% during the operational period (MBR 105 day). As a result of HRT variation, average removal efficiencies of CODCr on HRT 6, 12, 18, and 24 h were about 72.4, 84, 88.6, and 92.5%, respectively. The NH4+–N removal efficiency was about 60.2, 85.5, 91.3, and 92.2%, respectively. TN and TP removal efficiencies increased from 53.7 and 56.8 to 82.5 and 86.4%, respectively, as the HRT increased from 6 to 24 h. In RO process, average removal efficiencies of color and CODCr in RO permeated water were about 99.9 and 96.8%, respectively. Also, removal efficiencies of TN, NH4+–N, NH4+–N, and TP were all above average 90%.