Feasibility of Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors for the Treatment of Wastewaters with Particulate Organic Matter

Abstract

The application of anaerobic submerged membrane bioreactors was studied for the treatment of wastewaters containing suspended solids. A mesophilic and a thermophilic reactors were operated with a synthetic wastewater. The thermophilic reactor achieved higher volumetric loading rates than the mesophilic reactor, reaching 14 g COD/L · d (0.47 g COD/g VSS · d). The mesophilic reactor showed signs of overload, when reaching a volumetric loading rate of 10 g COD/L · d (0.32 g COD/g VSS · d). Cake formation was identified as the main factor governing applicable flux. Low levels of irreversible fouling were observed in both reactors. Low fluxes were attained and gas sparging was ineffective in increasing the critical flux.

Keywords:

• Anaerobic
• cake
• fouling
• MBR
• membrane
• suspended solids

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was financially supported by the European Union in the framework of the “Agroiwatech,” project contract nr. ICA2-CT-2002-10010. Authors acknowledge the personal scholarship from the Chilean Government to David Jeison.