Wastewater Treatment and Membrane Fouling Control Using an Algae-Sludge Membrane Bioreactor (AS-MBR)

초록

The study has investigated the use of an Algae-Sludge Membrane Bioreactor (AS-MBR) for wastewater treatment. Its performance, in terms of pollutant removal and membrane fouling mitigation, was compared to that of a previously reported conventional MBR. Results showed that it has a COD removal efficiency that is only slightly higher than that in the conventional Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). The effect of the combined microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) and activated sludge biomass resulted in more efficient nutrient removals in the AS-MBR than in the conventional MBR. Higher removals of NH<inf>4</inf>+-N and PO<inf>4</inf>3−-P by 43.89 and 6.4% were observed in the AS-MBR. However, detection of NO<inf>3</inf>−-N at the effluent revealed that denitrification was not a dominant nitrogen removal pathway in the system. Membrane fouling mitigation in the AS-MBR was observed through the lower membrane fouling rate and lower concentrations of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) and Soluble Microbial Products (SMP). The decrease in membrane fouling rate and increase in Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) concentrations in the mixed liquor of the AS-MBR compared to the conventional MBR also showed that these are not the dominant fouling substances in the system. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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