Quantitative and qualitative variations of biopolymers in a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor treating municipal wastewater throughout 3 years of operation.

In this study, the fouling potential of mixed liquor suspension samples collected from a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) that treated municipal wastewater was monitored for more than 3 years. The fouling potential was assessed by batch filtration experiments using the same type of membrane as equipped in the MBR. The fouling potential increased when the temperature of the mixed liquor suspension in the MBR decreased. However, the polysaccharide and protein concentrations in the mixed liquor suspension, which have been focused on many previous studies, did not correlate with the fouling potential (R2 = 0.15 and 0.39, respectively). In contrast, the concentration of biopolymers, quantified by liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD), exhibited a marked correlation with the fouling potential (R2 = 0.89). A high concentration of biopolymers with large molecular weight (>1 million Da) was likely responsible for the high fouling potential. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of the dissolved organic matter in the mixed liquor suspension indicated that the chemical properties of the biopolymers considerably varied with the seasonal temperature variation, which has rarely been reported and gives insights into fouling in MBRs. The effect of temperature on the biopolymer concentration and molecular weight of biopolymers was also investigated in a separate bench-scale experiment in which temperature was controlled. It was clearly shown that a low temperature induced an increase in the biopolymer concentration and an associated increase in the fouling potential of the mixed liquor suspension.

Proteins causing membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors.

In this study, the details of proteins causing membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) treating real municipal wastewater were investigated. Two separate pilot-scale MBRs were continuously operated under significantly different operating conditions; one MBR was a submerged type whereas the other was a side-stream type. The submerged and side-stream MBRs were operated for 20 and 10 days, respectively. At the end of continuous operation, the foulants were extracted from the fouled membranes. The proteins contained in the extracted foulants were enriched by using the combination of crude concentration with an ultrafiltration membrane and trichloroacetic acid precipitation, and then separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). The N-terminal amino acid sequencing analysis of the proteins which formed intensive spots on the 2D-PAGE gels allowed us to partially identify one protein (OmpA family protein originated from genus Brevundimonas or Riemerella anatipestifer) from the foulant obtained from the submerged MBR, and two proteins (OprD and OprF originated from genus Pseudomonas) from that obtained from the side-stream MBR. Despite the significant difference in operating conditions of the two MBRs, all proteins identified in this study belong to ß-barrel protein. These findings strongly suggest the importance of ß-barrel proteins in developing membrane fouling in MBRs.

Evaluation of whole wastewater effluent impacts on HepG2 using DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis.

DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis with human hepatoma HepG2 cells was applied to evaluate the impacts of whole wastewater effluents from the membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and the activated sludge process (AS). In addition, the conventional bioassays (i.e., cytotoxicity tests and bioluminescence inhibition test), which were well-established for the evaluation of the overall effluent toxicity, were also performed for the same samples. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 2 to 926 genes, which were categorized to 0 to 225 biological processes, were differentially expressed after exposure to the effluents and the raw wastewater. Among the tested effluents, the effluent from a MBR operated at a relatively long solid retention time (i.e., 40 days) and small membrane pore size (i.e., 0.03 µm) showed the least impacts on the HepG2 even at the level comparable to tap water. The observed gene expression responses were in good agreement with the results of cytotoxicity tests, and provided additional molecular mechanistic information on adverse effects occurred in the sublethal region. Furthermore, the genes related to "lipid metabolism", "response to endogenous stimulus", and "response to inorganic substance" were selected as potential genetic markers, and their expression levels were quantified to evaluate the cellular impacts and treatability of wastewater effluents. Although the harmful impacts and innocuous impacts could not be distinguished at present, the results demonstrated that the DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis with human HepG2 cells was a powerful tool to rapidly and comprehensively evaluate impacts of whole wastewater effluents.

Permeability decline in nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membranes fed with municipal wastewater treated by a membrane bioreactor.

Decline in the permeability in nanofiltration (NF)/reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that filtered effluents from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater was investigated in this study. Four different 2-inch spiral-wound NF/RO membrane elements were continuously operated for 40 days. The results showed that the amount of deposits on the membrane surface did not affect the degree of permeability decline. Laboratory-scale filtration tests with coupons obtained from the fouled membranes also revealed that the contribution of the gel/cake layer to total filtration resistance was minor. Rather, constituents that were strongly bound to the membranes were mainly responsible for permeability decline. Chemical cleaning of the fouled membranes carried out after removal of the cake showed that silica played an important role in the decline in permeability. A considerable amount of organic matter which was mainly composed of carbohydrates and proteins was also desorbed from the fouled membranes.

Efficient Recovery of Organic Matter from Municipal Wastewater by a High-Rate Membrane Bioreactor Equipped with Flat-Sheet Ceramic Membranes.

High-rate processes have been investigated for the recovery of organic matter from municipal wastewater. High-rate membrane bioreactors (HR-MBRs) may simultaneously achieve the increased recovery of carbon and high effluent quality, although control of membrane fouling is extremely difficult. To address the severe fouling in HR-MBRs, the combination of granular scouring and frequent chemically enhanced backwashing was examined. The use of robust flat-sheet ceramic membranes enabled the application of those cleaning strategies. Experiments were carried out at an existing wastewater treatment plant. To operate as a high-rate system, the bioreactor solid residence time and hydraulic residence time were set at 0.5 days and 1.6 h, respectively. Although a relatively high flux of 20 L m-2 h-1 was applied, the proposed HR-MBR exhibited a very low fouling rate of 1.3 kPa/day. The system could recover >70% of the carbon from raw wastewater, whereas the concentration of chemical oxygen demand in the effluent was lowered to <20 mg/L. The performance of the proposed HR-MBR observed in this study was clearly superior to those reported in previous related studies.

Innovative receiving phase for Chemcatcher® passive sampler for phosphorus in the water environment: Calibration of sampling rate by water temperature and pH.

Passive sampling is a technique for monitoring orthophosphate (PO4-P) in the water environment. Compared with traditional grab sampling followed by PO4-P quantification, kinetic-type passive samplers such as Chemcatcher® express representative concentrations of PO4-P as time-weighted average concentrations (CTWA). They can also potentially evaluate much lower PO4-P concentrations, but the available receiving phases of Chemcatcher® used for PO4-P were extremely limited. We developed a new receiving phase, the PSfZS sheet, comprising a zirconium sulfate-surfactant micelle mesostructure and polysulfone matrix. We examined its performance in terms of PO4-P sorption characteristics, PO4-P selectivity, and PO4-P sampling rate (Rs). Its capacity was adequate (12.0 µg-P/cm2) and selectivity for PO4-P uptake was good. The Rs for PO4-P increased with increasing water temperature (8.1-29.1 °C) and decreasing pH (4.1-9.7) in a laboratory calibration, and ranged from 5.27 × 10-2 L/d to 1.66 × 10-1 L/d. We placed the samplers in a municipal wastewater treatment plant, a shallow eutrophic lake, and an oligotrophic caldera lake. The Rs in the deployment sites was calibrated by monitored water temperature and pH. The estimated CTWA of PO4-P in the municipal wastewater treatment plant was similar to the averaged concentration of soluble reactive phosphorus determined by multiple grab samplings. In the lake deployments, we found that the new sampler can quantify CTWA values of PO4-P below 10 µg/L, and thus it provides more technical monitoring options and contributes to the conservation and management of the water environment.

Phosphorus Recovery by Adsorption from the Membrane Permeate of an Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Digesting Waste-Activated Sludge.

The recovery of phosphorus (P) from waste activated sludge (WAS) is a promising approach for sustainable resource management. During the anaerobic digestion of WAS, orthophosphate is released, and this P species is favorable for adsorption recovery. In the present study, an anerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) with a P-adsorption column was developed to generate biogas from WAS and to recover P from membrane permeate simultaneously. The effects of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and solid retention time (SRT) of the AnMBR on P solubilization were investigated. As a result, the maximum P solubilization was 21% when the HRT and SRT were 45 days and 100 days, respectively. Orthophosphate in the membrane permeate was adsorbed and recovered using a mesoporous material called zirconium sulfate-surfactant micelle mesostructure (ZS) in the column. The adsorbed P could be desorbed from the ZS with a NaOH solution, and P was recovered as a concentrated solution by a factor of 25. When the HRT was 19 days, the biogas yield and biogas production rate were 0.26 L/g-VSinput and 0.123 L/L/d, respectively. The average methane content in the biogas was 80%. The developed membrane-based process may be effective for resource recovery from WAS.

Efficient direct membrane filtration (DMF) of municipal wastewater for carbon recovery: Application of a simple pretreatment and selection of an appropriate membrane pore size.

Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the recovery and effective utilization of organic matter in municipal wastewater for the establishment of a circular economy. Direct membrane filtration (DMF) of municipal wastewater using microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to retain and concentrate the organic matter in municipal wastewater could be a practical option for this purpose. However, severe membrane fouling and high concentrations of organic matter remaining in the DMF permeate are concerns to be addressed. Application of a simple pretreatment using fixed biofilms was investigated to address these issues. In this study, experiments were carried out at an existing municipal wastewater treatment plant. A moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process operated under a very short HRT of 1 h and DO concentration of 0.5 mg/L selectively degraded low-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter in municipal wastewater without degradation of membrane-recoverable suspended and colloidal organic matter. Application of the pretreatment did not reduce the amount of organic carbon recovered by DMF using an MF membrane (approximately 70% of the influent COD being recovered), while it dramatically mitigated the membrane fouling probably due to the alteration of characteristics of dissolved organic matter in wastewater. The pretreatment also reduced the concentration of organic matter in the DMF permeate by 41%: COD concentration in the DMF permeate was as low as 40 mg/L. With the established MBBR pretreatment, performances of MF (0.1 µm) and UF (molecular weight cut-off: 150,000) membranes for DMF were compared in parallel. It was found that the increase of the recoverable amount of organic matter by using UF was marginal (about 5%), whereas fouling in UF was much more severe than that in MF. The severe fouling in UF was caused by inorganic colloids such as FeS that could pass through MF membranes but be retained by UF membranes. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is concluded that MF is more suitable than UF for efficient DMF.

The role of medium molecular weight organics on reducing disinfection by-products and fouling prevention in nanofiltration.

Nanofiltration (NF) is utilized in water treatment for controlling disinfection by-products formation potential (DBPFP) and disinfection by-products (DBPs). Attention regarding NF-based technology has been paid on membrane fouling of NF and the rejection efficiency of contaminants by NF membranes. Natural organic matter (NOM) presenting in surface waters is one main removal target in drinking water treatment by NF-based technology, and is thereby a contributor to the membrane fouling of NF. In application, pretreatments of other membrane filtration (e.g., microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF)) has been taken prior to NF, resulting in the separation of NOM of specific molecular weight. Meanwhile, it is well known that NOM is composed of organic compounds of different molecular weights. However, the effect of NOM of specific molecular weight has been seldom investigated from the aspects of membrane fouling and the resulting DBPFP after membrane filtration. By using combinations of MF and UF (molecular weight cut-off of 100K or 20K) as pretreatment prior to NF, the NOM of various molecular weight on DBPFP and DBPs in the NF-treated water were investigated. The experiments were conducted with two real-world surface water samples and one tap water sample. It was found that medium molecular weight NOM, defined as NOM that passed UF100K but did not pass UF20K in this study, reduced fouling of the NF membrane. This is supported by the excitation and emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and flux analysis. In addition, the medium molecular weight NOM also reduced the DBPFP in the NF treated water and eventually the DBPs by participating in forming a protective layer on the NF surface, blocking the transfer of small molecular weight NOM into the NF filtrate, thereby reducing the DBPFP of the NF filtrate since small molecular weight NOM was the major contributor to DBPFP in this study.

In-situ biogas upgrading with H2 addition in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) digesting waste activated sludge.

Biological in-situ biogas upgrading is a promising approach for sustainable energy-powered technologies. This method increases the CH4 content in biogas via hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis with an external H2 supply. In this study, an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) was employed for in-situ biogas upgrading. The AnMBR was operated in semi-batch mode using waste activated sludge as the substrate. Pulsed H2 addition into the reactor and biogas recirculation effectively increased the CH4 content in the biogas. The addition of 4 equivalents of H2 relative to CO2 did not lead to appreciable biogas upgrading, although the acetate concentration increased significantly. When 11 equivalents of H2 were introduced, the biogas was successfully upgraded, and the CH4 content increased to 92%. The CH4 yield and CH4 production rate were 0.31 L/g-VSinput and 0.086 L/L/d, respectively. In this phase of the process, H2 addition increased the acetate concentration and the pH because of CO2 depletion. Compared with a continuously-stirred tank reactor, the AnMBR system attained higher CH4 content, even without the addition of H2. The longer solid retention time (100 d) in the AnMBR led to greater degradation of volatile solids. Severe membrane fouling was not observed, and the transmembrane pressure remained stable under 10 kPa for 117 d of continuous filtration without cleaning of the membrane. The AnMBR could be a promising reactor configuration to achieve in-situ biogas upgrading during sludge digestion.

Direct membrane filtration (DMF) for recovery of organic matter in municipal wastewater using small amounts of chemicals and energy.

The recovery and utilization of organic matter in municipal wastewater are essential for the establishment of a sustainable society, such that these factors have drawn significant recent attention. The up-concentration of organic matter via direct membrane filtration (DMF), followed by anaerobic digestion, is advantageous over the treatment of the entire wastewater by an anaerobic process, such as an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). However, the occurrence of severe membrane fouling in the DMF is a problem. In this study, DMF was carried out at an existing wastewater treatment plant to attempt long-term operation. A combination of vibration of membrane modules, short-term aeration, and chemically enhanced backwash (CEB), with multiple chemicals (i.e., the alternative use of citric acid and NaClO), was found to be effective for the mitigation of membrane fouling in DMF. Furthermore, switching the feed from influents to effluents in the primary sedimentation basin significantly mitigated membrane fouling. In this study, in which microfiltration membrane, with a nominal pore size of 0.1 µm, was used, ∼75% of the organic matter in raw wastewater was recovered, with the volumetric concentration of wastewater by 50- or 150-fold. Organic matter recovered by DMF had significantly higher potentials for biogas production than the excess sludge generated from the same wastewater treatment plant. An analysis of the energy balance (i.e., the energy used for DMF and recovered by DMF) suggests that the proposed DMF can produce a net-positive amount of electricity of ∼0.3 kWh from 1 m3 of raw wastewater with a typical strength (chemical oxygen demand of 500 mg/L).

Phosphorus compounds in the dissolved and particulate phases in urban rivers and a downstream eutrophic lake as analyzed using 31P NMR.

Phosphorus (P) discharges from human activities result in eutrophication of lakes. We investigated whether the forms of phosphorus (P) in rivers with high effluent loads flowing through urban areas of Sapporo, Japan, were transformed when transported downstream into a eutrophic lake, namely Lake Barato. We hypothesized that the inorganic P supplied from the rivers might be transformed to organic forms in the lake. The results showed that soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and particulate inorganic phosphorus (PIP) dominated in the river discharge to the lake. Suspended solids in the rivers were rich in iron (Fe) so PIP was associated with Fe. A comparison of the concentrations at the river mouth and 4.5 km downstream showed that the concentrations of SRP and PIP were lower at 4.5 km downstream than at the river mouth, whereas the concentrations of organic P (i.e., dissolved organic phosphorus and particulate organic phosphorus) were similar. The results from solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of lake water showed that pyrophosphate was only present in the particulate fraction, while orthophosphate diesters (DNA-P) were only present in the dissolved fraction. Riverine samples contained orthophosphate (ortho-P) only, while lake samples contained ortho-P, orthophosphate monoesters, and DNA-P. The results suggest that the P forms, particularly those of dissolved P, shifted from inorganic to organic forms as the water was discharged from the river to the lake.

Targeting membrane fouling with low dose oxidant in drinking water treatment: Beneficial effect and biological mechanism.

Membrane fouling is the principal factor that currently limits the performance of gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration systems in drinking water treatment. In this study, the benefits of applying a low dose (approximately 0.1 mg·L-1) of environmentally benign oxidants, both H2O2 and KMnO4, as a pretreatment to GDM filtration system has been evaluated in terms of reduced membrane fouling and treated water quality. While both oxidants improved permeate flux, the effect of KMnO4 was greater than H2O2. Both oxidants reduced the size of influent organic substances and those of large molecular weight (>20 kDa), such as biopolymers, disappeared. The thickness of the fouling layers was substantially reduced after oxidation, and the KMnO4 system had a markedly different physical structure of fouling layer, with an apparent sub-layer of δ-MnO2 nanosheets below a fouling sub-layer. The formation of the δ-MnO2 nanosheets sub-layer appeared to protect the underlying membrane pores from contamination by influent organics. Oxidation pretreatment reduced the presence of proteins and polysaccharides in the fouling layers and significantly altered the bacterial community structures (p < 0.01) and decreased biodiversity. The microbial species that secreted amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as Xanthobacter, were not eliminated in the H2O2 fouling layer, while for the KMnO4 system, the manganese oxidizing bacteria (MOB; e.g., Pseudoxanthomonas) and metal-resistant genus Acidovorax, dominated the community.

High-flux operation of MBRs with ceramic flat-sheet membranes made possible by intensive membrane cleaning: Tests with real domestic wastewater under low-temperature conditions.

This study investigated the efficiency of intensive membrane cleaning for membrane bioreactors (MBRs) using a combination of mechanical scouring with granules and chemically enhanced backwashing (CEB). The implementation of such intensive cleaning was possible with ceramic flat-sheet membranes. Experiments were carried out using bench-scale MBRs at an existing wastewater treatment plant. First, CEB with NaClO was investigated in terms of the CEB frequency, duration, and concentration of the chemical reagent. CEB carried out for 60 min every 6 h, with 50 ppm of NaClO, was found to be effective, and it enabled an MBR to operate at 50 LMH, two to three times higher than the flux of full-scale MBRs. However, these CEB conditions were insufficient when the temperature was low (i.e. in winter), when an adhesive gel layer formed on the membrane surface. Its high resistance to cleaning might be explained by the increased levels of soluble microbial products and/or the presence of algal cells. Alkaline-assisted CEB, with NaClO (pH 12) and an increase in the volume of granules in the membrane tank, solved this problem. With the modified cleaning method, the fouling could be almost perfectly controlled at low-temperature conditions, such as 13 °C. MBRs may be regarded as fouling-free MBRs when the proposed cleaning method is used with ceramic flat-sheet membranes. Most real-world MBR operations operate with lower fluxes than the flux examined in this study, and at higher temperatures.

Changes in characteristics of soluble microbial products in membrane bioreactors associated with different solid retention times: Relation to membrane fouling.

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a promising wastewater treatment technology, but there is a need for efficient control of membrane fouling, which increases operational and maintenance costs. Soluble microbial products (SMP) have been reported to act as major foulants in the operation of MBRs used for wastewater treatment. In this study, SMP in MBRs operated with different sludge retention times (SRTs) were investigated by means of various analytical techniques and their relations to the evolution of membrane fouling were considered. Bench-scale filtration experiments were carried out in a laboratory with synthetic wastewater to eliminate fluctuations that would occur with the use of real wastewater and that would lead to fluctuations in compositions of SMP. Three identical submerged MBRs were operated for about 50 days under the same conditions except for SRT (17, 51 and 102 days). Accumulation of SMP in the MBRs estimated by conventional analytical methods (i.e., the phenol-sulfuric acid method and the Lowry method) was significant in the cases of short SRTs. However, the degrees of membrane fouling in the MBRs were not directly related to the concentrations of SMP in the reactors estimated by the conventional analytical methods. Non-conventional analytical methods such as excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that characteristics of SMP in the three reactors considerably differed depending on SRT. Foulants were extracted from the fouled membranes at the end of the operation and were compared with SMP in each MBR. It was clearly shown that characteristics of the foulants were different depending on SRT, and similarities between SMP and the extracted foulants were recognized in each MBR on the basis of results of EEM measurements. However, such similarities were not found on the basis of results obtained by using the conventional methods for analysis of SMP. The results of this study suggest that the use of conventional methods for analysis of SMP is not appropriate for investigation of membrane fouling in MBRs.

Intensive membrane cleaning for MBRs equipped with flat-sheet ceramic membranes: Controlling negative effects of chemical reagents used for membrane cleaning.

Intensive membrane cleaning can be used with ceramic membranes since they are physically/chemically robust. It might therefore be possible for membrane bioreactors (MBRs) to be operated under the condition of a high membrane flux when ceramic membranes are used with such intensive membrane cleaning. In this study, bench-scale MBRs equipped with flat-sheet ceramic membranes were operated for long periods. Circulation of granular materials (cylindrical polyurethane) in the tank and frequent chemically enhanced backwash (CEB) were used as intensive physical cleaning and chemical cleaning in this study, respectively. Experiments were carried out with synthetic wastewater. The use of granular materials, which can cause significant damage to polymeric membranes (Kurita et al., 2015), was effective for controlling the formation of cake (deposition of microbial flocs) on the surface of the ceramic membranes. When both mechanical cleaning using the granular materials and CEB with 1000 ppm of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) were applied, contrary to an expectation, evolution of reversible fouling (formation of a transparent gel layer on the membrane surface) became uncontrollable, whereas irreversible fouling was effectively controlled. The use of NaClO induced release of organic macromolecules via biomass decay, leading to the evolution of reversible fouling. When the intensity of CEB with NaClO was adequately lowered, with the aid of the mechanical cleaning using the granules, the bench-scale MBR could be operated stably under an elevated membrane flux for a long period (>70 days). It was postulated that the adjustment of CEB intensity preferably altered properties of organic macromolecules released from biomass: the structure of the gel layer was porous when the CEB intensity was lowered. When CEB is used in MBRs, it is thus important to balance cleaning efficiency and its harmful effect on biomass. When adequate CEB is used with intensive mechanical cleaning, MBRs with ceramic membranes can be operated under high flux conditions.

Anaerobic digestion performance of concentrated municipal sewage by forward osmosis membrane: Focus on the impact of salt and ammonia nitrogen.

Sewage can become a valuable source if its treatment is re-oriented. Forward osmosis (FO) is an effective pre-treatment for concentrating solutions. A laboratory-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) bioreactor was setup for the treatment of concentrated real sewage by FO membrane to investigate the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biogas production. Inhibitory batch tests were carried out for the impact of NaCl and NH4+-N. Results showed that the concentrated sewage could be purified with 80% COD removal, and energy recovery could be achieved. But the process was inhibited. The results of inhibitory batch test showed that (i) when the NH4+-N concentration was lower (<200 mg/L), the biogas production was promoted, when it went high, the inhibition appeared; (ii) single existence of NaCl had negative influence on methane production; (iii) the inhibition was more severe with co-existence of NaCl and NH4+-N. The AD performance could be recovered via sludge acclimation.

Baffled membrane bioreactor (BMBR) for efficient nutrient removal from municipal wastewater.

Submerged membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are now widely used for various types of wastewater treatment. One drawback of submerged MBRs is the difficulty in removing nitrogen because intensive aeration is usually carried out in the tank and the MBRs must therefore be operated under aerobic conditions. In this study, the feasibility of treating municipal wastewater by a baffled membrane bioreactor (BMBR), particularly in terms of nitrogen removal, was examined. Simultaneous nitrification/denitrification in a single and small reaction tank was possible by inserting baffles into a normal submerged MBR as long as wastewater was fed in the appropriate way. To examine the applicability of the BMBR, pilot-scale experiments were carried out using real municipal wastewater. Although neither external carbon addition nor mixed liquor circulation was carried out in the operation of the BMBR, average removal rates of total organic carbon (TOC), total phosphorus (T-P) and total nitrogen (T-N) reached 85%, 97% and 77%, respectively, with the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4.7h. Permeability of the membrane could be maintained at a high level throughout the operation. It was found that denitrification was the limiting step in removal of nitrogen in the BMBR in this study. Various types of monitoring carried out in the BMBR also demonstrated the possibility of further improvements in its performance.

Transition in fouling mechanism in microfiltration of a surface water.

The main disadvantage of membrane filtration is membrane fouling, which remains as the major obstacle for more efficient use of this technology. Information about the constituents that cause fouling is indispensable for more efficient operation. We examined the changes in both foulant characteristics and membrane morphology by performing the pilot-scale filtration test using one microfiltration membrane. During the operation, we cut the membrane fibers three times, and the components that caused irreversible fouling were extracted by acid or alkaline solution. We found that the characteristic of inorganic matter extracted by acid solution completely differed depending on the filtration period. A large amount of iron was extracted in the second chemical cleaning, while manganese was the dominant component of the extracted inorganic matter in the third chemical cleaning. The analysis of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and cross polarization magic angle spinning carbon-13 (CPMAS (13)C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) demonstrated that the contribution of humic substances and carbohydrate in the organic foulant had increased as fouling developed. The changes in the major foulant have no relation with the fluctuation in feed water. The analysis of membrane morphology illustrated that the cake layer started to build up after the blockage of membrane pores. Based on the above results, we hypothesized the following fouling mechanism: the pores were covered or narrowed with relatively large particles such as iron, carbohydrate or protein; small particles such as manganese or humic substances blocked the narrowed pores; and finally an irreversible cake layer started to build up on the membrane surface.

Efficient control of membrane fouling in MF by removal of biopolymers: Comparison of various pretreatments.

In recent studies on membrane fouling in microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) for drinking water production, hydrophilic macromolecular organics referred to as biopolymers have been shown to be major players in the fouling. In this study, various pretreatments were compared to maximize removal of biopolymers and to control membrane fouling efficiently. Multiple water samples were collected from different drinking water sources and were used in this study. Coagulation using polyaluminum chloride (PACl) was carried out under conditions of different dosages and different pHs and was also carried out in combination with the use of powdered activated carbon (PAC) or magnetic ion exchange (MIEX®) resin. The efficiency of removal of biopolymers was highest by the combination of MIEX® and coagulation regardless of the type of sample. Efficient removal of biopolymers achieved by the combination of MIEX® and coagulation led to efficient control of membrane fouling in MF, which was confirmed by bench-scale filtration tests conducted under a constant flux of 62.5 LMH using commercially available hollow-fiber membranes. Enhanced coagulation with increased coagulant dosage or acidic coagulation (pH = 6) also exhibited good removal of biopolymers in some cases and led to control of fouling. In contrast, the combination of PAC and coagulation sometimes caused more rapid evolution of fouling by forming cake layers on the membrane surface. Results of bench-scale tests showed that the concentration of biopolymers in the feed water correlated well with the degree of physically irreversible fouling, which was dominant in this study. The strong correlation was shown with multiple water samples treated by various pretreatments, demonstrating that biopolymer concentration in feed water is a good index for fouling studies.