Removal of RNA viruses from swine wastewater using anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Performance and mechanisms

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2024-06, Vol.471, p.134296-134296, Article 134296
• Main Authors: Li, Yu, Wu, Baolei, Zhai, Xuanyu, Li, Qian, Fan, Chenlong, Li, Yu-You, Sano, Daisuke, Chen, Rong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anaerobic membrane bioreactor; Biomass adsorption; Membrane rejection; Swine wastewater; Virus removal
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134296

The effective removal of viruses from swine wastewater using anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is vital to ecological safety. However, most studies have focused only on disinfectants, whereas the capabilities of the treatment process have not been investigated. In this study, the performance and mechanism of an AnMBR in the removal of porcine hepatitis E virus (HEV), porcine kobuvirus (PKoV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) are systematically investigated. The results show that the AnMBR effectively removes the four viruses, with average removal efficiencies of 1.62, 3.05, 2.41, and 1.34 log for HEV, PKoV, PEDV and TGEV, respectively. Biomass adsorption contributes primarily to the total virus removal in the initial stage of reactor operation, with contributions to HEV and PKoV removal exceeding 71.7 % and 68.2 %, respectively. When the membrane is fouled, membrane rejection dominated virus removal. The membrane rejection contribution test shows the significant contribution of membrane pore foulants (23–76 %). Correlation analysis shows that the surface characteristics and size differences of the four viruses contribute primarily to their different effects on biomass adsorption and membrane rejection. This study provides technical guidance for viral removal during the treatment of high-concentration swine wastewater using an AnMBR. [Display omitted] •AnMBR effectively removes four types of viruses from swine wastewater.•Membrane fouling was the key factor in the virus removal by AnMBR.•The greatest resistance-specific virus rejection was pore foulants blocking.•Biomass adsorption and foulant layer rejection were affected by virus type.•A strategy was devised to balance virus removal and high permeate flux.