Evaluation of fouling constituents in membrane bioreactors: Extracellular polymeric substances and inorganic precipitation

ENVR 93

Tanna B. Borrell1, Chikako Donahue1, Jae Cheol Cho, jccho@umich.edu2, Eberhard Morgenroth, emorgenr@uiuc.edu3, Jinsang Kim, jinsang@umich.edu4, Lutgarde Raskin, raskin@umich.edu1, and Steven J. Skerlos5. (1) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, 1351 Beal Ave, 17 EWRE Bldg, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125, (2) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, (3) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3219 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, MC-250, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, (4) Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, and Biomedical Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, (5) Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Fouling control is a prerequisite to the use of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) for economical treatment of domestic wastewater. Previous work has indicated that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and struvite (MgNH4PO4) are present in AnMBRs and contribute significantly to fouling. In this study, we evaluate which of these foulants are dominant in different wastewater treatment strategies and propose countermeasures for their effects on membrane flux. Batch tests were performed with actual and synthetic wastewater and biomass samples from full- and lab-scale reactors (aerobic MBR, anaerobic digester, and AnMBR), which were selected to provide significant variability in EPS composition and struvite precipitation potential. As one approach to reducing the influence of these foulants on membrane flux, several commercially available and newly developed membranes were evaluated for possible flux improvement. For each membrane and input feed concentration, fouling magnitude and predominant fouling mechanisms were identified using flux data, chemical analyses and/or SEM.
 

Membrane Technology for Water Treatment and Reuse
1:30 PM-5:10 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 237, Oral

Division of Environmental Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008