• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.83-92
• /
• 2010

To improve the antifouling characteristics of polypropylene hollow fiber microporous membranes in a submerged membrane-bioreactor for wastewater treatment, the surface-modification was conducted by Ar plasma treatment. Surface hydrophilicity was assessed by water contact angle measurements. The advancing and receding water contact angles reduced after the surface modification, and hysteresis between the advancing and receding water contact angles was enlarged after Ar plasma treatment due to the increased surface roughness after surface plasma treatment. After continuous operation in a submerged membrane-bioreactor for about 55 h, the flux recovery after water cleaning and the flux ratio after fouling were improved by 20.0 and 143.0%, while the reduction of flux was reduced by 28.6% for the surface modified membrane after 1 min Ar plasma treatment, compared to those of the unmodified membrane. Morphological observations showed that the mean membrane pore size after Ar plasma treatment reduced as a result of the deposition of the etched species; after it was used in the submerged membrane-bioreactor, the further decline of the mean membrane pore size was caused by the deposition of foulants. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy confirmed that proteins and polysaccharide-like substances were the main foulants in the precipitate.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.120-124
• /
• 2009

This study was performed to investigate the application of submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for biological nutrient removal of municipal wastewater. MBR bioreactor consists of four reactors such as anaerobic, stabilization, anoxic and submerged membrane aerobic reactors with two internal recycles. The hydraulic retention time (HRT), sludge retention time (SRT) and flux were 6.2 hr, 34.1 days and $19.6L/m^2/hr$ (LMH), respectively. As a result of operation, the removal efficiency of $COD_{Cr}$, SS, TN and TP were 94.3%, 99.9%, 69.4%, and 74.6%, respectively. There was no significant effect of microbial activity after the maintenance cleaning using 200 mg/L of NaOCl. Membrane filtration for the treatment of municipal wastewater was performed for longer than 9 months without chemical recovery cleaning.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.235-241
• /
• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the characteristics of nutrient removal of municipal wastewater in the submerged membrane bioreactor by addition of alum directly into aerobic tank. Membrane bioreactor consists of three reactors such as two intermittent anaerobic tanks and the aerobic tank with hollow fiber membrane. The removal efficiencies of $COD_{cr}$, BOD, SS, TN and TP on the membrane bioreactor were 94.0%, 99.1%, 99.9%, 66.9%, and 58.9%, respectively. In addition, The removal efficiencies of $COD_{cr}$, BOD, SS, TN and TP on the membrane bioreactor with alum addition were 93.4%, 99.0%, 99.9%, 63.2%, and 96.8%, respectively. There was little difference between them on the nutrient removal efficiencies except phophorus removal. The estimated sludge production, specific denitrification rate, specific nitrification rate and phosphorus removal content on the membrane bioreactor were 1.76 kgTSS/d, $0.055mgNO_3-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, $0.031mgNH_4-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, and 0.095 kgP/d, respectively. And The estimated sludge production, specific denitrification rate, specific nitrification rate and phosphorus removal content on the membrane bioreactor with alum addition were 2.90 kgTSS/d, $0.049mgNO_3-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, $0.030mgNH_4-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, and 0.160 kgP/d, respectively. The alum content added was 1.7 molAl/molP on an average. The increasing ratio of tran-membrane pressure on the membrane bioreactor was $0.0056kgf/cm^2{\cdot}compared$ to $0.0033kgf/cm^2{\cdot}d$ on the membrane bioreactor with alum addition. There was a slightly reduction effect on membrane fouling by alum addition.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.141-149
• /
• 2012

The aeration provided in a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor (SMBR) improves membrane filtration by creating turbulence on the membrane surface and reducing membrane resistance. However, conventional hollow fiber membrane modules are generally packed in a vertical orientation which limits membrane scouring efficiency, especially when aeration is provided in the axial direction. In the present research, 3 innovative hollow-fiber membrane modules, each with a different membrane orientation, were developed to improve membrane scouring efficiency and enhance permeate flux. Pilot testing was performed to investigate the permeate flux versus time relationship over a 7-day period under different intermittent modes. The results indicated that the best module experienced an overall permeate flux decline of 3.3% after 7 days; the other two modules declined by 13.3% and 18.3%. The lower percentage of permeate flux decline indicated that permeate productivity could be sustained for a longer period of time. As a result, the operational costs associated with membrane cleaning and membrane replacement could be reduced over the lifespan of the module.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1998.06a
• /
• pp.113-133
• /
• 1998

In activated sludge process, sludge settling condition is affected by organic loading rate or operation condition, and if settling condition is getting worse, it is common that overall process fails due to wash-out of biomass causing low concentration in the aeration tank. Also activated sludge process has such several problems as requiring large area, consuming a lot of power and producing large volume of sludge. Increased public concern over health and the environment combined with a strong desire to reduce capital, operating and maintenance costs, have created a need for innovative technologies for building new high quality effluents which vail meet 21st century crkeria. MBR(Membrane Bioreactor) process consists of a biological reactor and ultrafiltration(UF) membrane system that replaces the conventional clarifier of an activated sludge process. The main operating advantages of this system are that the quality of the effluent is independent of the settleability of the mixed liquor and that the effluent is free of suspended solids in any operating condition. It is possible to eliminate clarifier and to reduce the volume of aeration tank because it can afford to accumulate high biomass concentration in the bioreactor(20, 000~30, 000mg/L), which would not be possible in a conventional activated sludge process. Therefore, this process reduces overall treatment plant area. In addition to those advantages, Longer SRT condition enables higher sludge digestion in MBR process so the sludge volume produced is 50 to 70% lower than that of conventional activated sludge process There are two kinds of MBR process according to the allocations of membrane. One is cross flow type MBR of which module is located outside of the bioreactor and mixed liquor is driven into the membrane module. The other is submerged type MBR process of which module is submerged in the bioreactor and mixed liquor is generally sucked from the lumen side. addition to that the cake layer is often removed by the uplifting flow of bubbling air. A submerged MBR process is superior to a crossflow MBR in regard to the power consumption because suction pressure of a submerged MBR is generally lower than that of a crossflow MBR which has recirculation pump. A submerged MBR, therefore, has the potential to be applied to small wastewater treatment plants that need low cost treatment systems.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.263-271
• /
• 2018

The objective of this work was to analyze organic matter removal, nitrification, biomass growth and membrane fouling in a submerged flat-sheet membrane bioreactor, fed with synthetic wastewater, of similar composition to the effluents generated in a fish meal industry. After biomass acclimatization with saline conditions of 12 gNaCl/L and COD/N ratio of 15 in the bioreactor, results showed that the organic matter removal was higher than 90%, for all organic loading rates (0.8, 1, 1.33 and $2gCOD/L{\cdot}d$) and nitrogen loading rates (0.053, 0.067, 0.089 and $0.133gN/L{\cdot}d$) tested during the study. However, nitrification was only carried out with the lowest OLR ($0.8gCOD/L{\cdot}d$) and NLR ($0.053gN/L{\cdot}d$). An excessive concentration of organic matter in the wastewater appears as a limiting factor to this process' operating conditions, where nitrification values of 65% were reached, including nitrogen assimilation to produce biomass. The analysis of membrane fouling showed that the bio-cake formation at the membrane surface is the most impacting mechanism responsible of this phenomenon and it was demonstrated that organic and nitrogen loading rates variations affected membrane fouling rate.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.331-338
• /
• 2019

This study aimed to investigate the membrane fouling and sludge characteristics in a pilot-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) operated under low temperature ($7^{\circ}C$). To elucidate the mechanisms of membrane fouling at low temperature, we studied the correlation between MBR performances and physicochemical properties of sludge including extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), relative hydrophobicity (RH) and floc size during long-term operation. The MBR was shown able to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) stably and efficiently (>90 %) in the case of overgrowth of filamentous bacteria (bulking sludge) at low temperature. On the other hand, the occurrence of filamentous bulking greatly accelerated membrane fouling, as indicated by membrane filtration period of 14 days for filamentous bulking at $7^{\circ}C$, in comparison with that of 27 days for non-bulking sludge at $24^{\circ}C$ The overgrowth of filamentous bacteria resulting from low-temperature condition led to an increased release of EPS, higher RH, smaller floc size and lower fractal dimension of sludge. These factors accelerated the formation of compact cake layer on membrane surface in association with performance diminution in terms of increase in transmembrane pressure (TMP) of the membrane and thus the decrease in membrane permeability.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.679-685
• /
• 2002

The objective of this study was investigated for the microbial community structure and treatment performance of domestic wastewater in lab-scale submerged membrane bioreactor operated with anoxic-oxic cycles. Respiratory quinone profiles were applied as tools for identifying different bacterial populations. The cycle time program of bioreactor was control under anoxic/oxic of 60/90 minutes with an hydraulic retention time of 8.4 hrs. The average $COD_{Cr}$ removal efficiency of domestic wastewater was as high as 93%. The results showed complete nitrification of $NH_4^+$-N generated during oxic period and up to 50% of the total nitrogen could be denitrified. The dominant quinone types of suspended microorganisms in bioreactor were ubiquinone (UQ)-8, -10, followed by menaquinone (MK)-6, and MK-7 for anoxic period, but those for oxic period were UQ-8, MK-6, followed by UQ-10 and MK-7. The microbial diversities of bioreactor at anoxic and oxic periods, calculated based on the composition of all quinones were 10.4 and 12.2-11.8, respectively. The experimental results showed that the microbial community structure in the submerged membrane bioreactor treating domestic wastewater was slightly affected by intermittent aeration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.469-474
• /
• 2006

Partial nitrification blocking of the oxidation of nitrite ($NO_{2}^{-}$) to nitrate ($NO_{3}^{-}$) has cost-efficient advantages such as lower oxygen and organics demand for nitrification and denitrification, respectively. A nitrifying membrane bioreactor of submerged type was operated for the treatment of synthetic ammonium wastewater with the purpose of nitrite build-up without affecting the efficiency of ammonium oxidation. A high ammonium concentration (1,000 mg/l) was completely converted to nitrate at up to 2 kg $N/m^3$ day under sufficient aeration. The control of pH under sufficient aeration was not a reliable strategy to maintain stable nitrite build-up. When the dissolved oxygen concentration was kept at 0.2-0.4 mg/l by adjusting the aeration rate, about 70% of nitrite content was obtained with ammonium oxidation efficiency higher than 93%. The increase of suction pressure due to membrane fouling was not significant under lowered aerating environment over a 6-month period of operation. The composition of nitrifier community, including relative abundance of nitrite oxidizers in a nitrite-accumulating condition, was quantified by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2000.07b
• /
• pp.85-109
• /
• 2000