ABSTRACT

Progressively stringent emission standards have prompted the development of innovative technologies for the treatment of both municipal and industrial wastewater. Perhaps the fastest-growing technology in the wastewater treatment sector is the membrane separation bioreactor, generally designated the membrane bioreactor (MBR). It was originally

developed as a response to the need to achieve process intensication and the achievement of tighter emission  requirements. The estimated worldwide installed capacity stands at 5 million m3 day−1 [1]. The process is predominantly applied for municipal wastewater treatment; however, it has been adopted for water recycling applications in large buildings in Japan since the 1980s [2,3] and is also used for industrial

28.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................741 28.2 MBR Operation ............................................................................................................................................................... 742

28.2.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................................................. 742 28.2.2 Process Design ..................................................................................................................................................... 743 28.2.3 Membrane Selection ............................................................................................................................................ 744 28.2.4 Operation and Control ......................................................................................................................................... 744 28.2.5 Maintenance ........................................................................................................................................................ 744

28.3 MBR Performance ........................................................................................................................................................... 744 28.3.1 Municipal Wastewater Carbonaceous Removal .................................................................................................. 744 28.3.2 Nutrient Removal ................................................................................................................................................. 744

28.3.2.1 Nitrication ........................................................................................................................................... 744 28.3.2.2 Denitrication ....................................................................................................................................... 745 28.3.2.3 Phosphorus Removal ............................................................................................................................. 745

28.3.3 Benchmarking the MBR against the CAS Process ............................................................................................. 746 28.3.4 Micropollutant Removal from Municipal Wastewater ........................................................................................ 746 28.3.5 Carbonaceous Removal from Industrial Wastewater .......................................................................................... 746 28.3.6 Removal of Specic Organic Pollutants from Industrial Wastewater ................................................................. 748 28.3.7 Energy Consumption ........................................................................................................................................... 748

28.4 Mechanisms Contributing to MBR Performance ............................................................................................................ 748 28.4.1 Membrane Fouling .............................................................................................................................................. 749 28.4.2 Biomass Morphology ........................................................................................................................................... 750 28.4.3 Microbial Ecology ............................................................................................................................................... 750 28.4.4 Microbial Physiology ............................................................................................................................................751 28.4.5 Factors Contributing to Biomass Yield .................................................................................................................751