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Model-based analysis of the effect of different operating conditions on fouling mechanisms in a membrane bioreactor

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Abstract

This study proposes a model-based evaluation of the effect of different operating conditions with and without pre-denitrification treatment and applying three different solids retention times on the fouling mechanisms involved in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). A total of 11 fouling models obtained from literature were used to fit the transmembrane pressure variations measured in a pilot-scale MBR treating real wastewater for more than 1 year. The results showed that all the models represent reasonable descriptions of the fouling processes in the MBR tested. The model-based analysis confirmed that membrane fouling started by pore blocking (complete blocking model) and by a reduction of the pore diameter (standard blocking) while cake filtration became the dominant fouling mechanism over long-term operation. However, the different fouling mechanisms occurred almost simultaneously making it rather difficult to identify each one. The membrane “history” (i.e. age, lifespan, etc.) seems the most important factor affecting the fouling mechanism more than the applied operating conditions. Nonlinear regression of the most complex models (combined models) evaluated in this study sometimes demonstrated unreliable parameter estimates suggesting that the four basic fouling models (complete, standard, intermediate blocking and cake filtration) contain enough details to represent a reasonable description of the main fouling processes occurring in MBRs.

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Abbreviations

n :

Number of experimental data

p :

Number of parameters to estimate

J :

Flux (L m−2 h−1)

J 0 :

Applied constant flux (L m−2 h−1)

t :

Time

TMP:

Transmembrane pressure (MPa). Note that the values reported for the TMP in this work always refer to the standardised value as described above (i.e. after correction for the temperature and as average value of a filtration phase; see “Data processing” section)

TMP20 :

TMP normalised to the reference temperature of 20 °C

TMPT :

TMP measured at the experimental temperature

TMP i,measured :

Single TMP measure

TMP i,estimated :

Single TMP estimated for each model fit

k c :

Cake filtration constant (s m−2)

k b :

Complete blocking constant (h−1)

k i :

Intermediate blocking constant (m−1)

k m :

Value of the m-esim parameter estimated

\( {\overline{k}}_m \), k max, k min :

Normalised, maximum and minimum value of the m-esim parameter k m

k s :

Standard blocking constant (m−1)

k br :

Parameter incorporating membrane and suspension characteristics (m kg−1)

SRT:

Solids retention time (day)

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted as part of a research and development project named SIRPAR “Integrated Strategies for Urban Wastewater Reclamation in the Apulia Region” financed by Regional authorities of Apulia. Gianpaolo Sabia has been partly supported by the Regional Technological Project funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ENEA, Water Resources Management Laboratory, via M.M. Sole, 4, 40129, Bologna, Italy

    Gianpaolo Sabia, Marco Ferraris & Alessandro Spagni

Authors
  1. Gianpaolo Sabia
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  2. Marco Ferraris
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  3. Alessandro Spagni
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Correspondence to Marco Ferraris.

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Responsible editor: Bingcai Pan

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Sabia, G., Ferraris, M. & Spagni, A. Model-based analysis of the effect of different operating conditions on fouling mechanisms in a membrane bioreactor. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 1598–1609 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5372-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5372-z

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