Membrane fouling control in centralized and decentralized Bf-MBR wastewater treatment plants
The future global water demand will raise primarily due to population growth, increasing wealth and changing diet preferences. The biggest contributors to these changes will be emerging markets and developing countries that are already suffering from water, food and health. Increasing water use and scarcity may impose constraints on the economic growth of emerging markets and developing countries. In the present conditions, it will be necessary to reduce the growing stress on natural water sources, both in terms of pollution and in terms of water abstraction. There will be a need to gradually make multiple alternative water sources available to complement current abstraction from ground and surface waters, with useable water from additional sources (i.e. brackish, salt, and recycled water), in a cascading and “fit-foruse” approach. Moving bed biofilm and membrane bioreactors developed in parallel as technological advance of activated sludge process. Anticipating synergism between biological treatment in biofilm and membrane separation of suspended solids, they were evolutionary combined in biofilm membrane bioreactor (Bf-MBR). This technology is increasing role of point-of-use wastewater treatment applying membranes by providing unique capabilities of low footprint, high level of automation and good cost-benefit ration due to lower degree of membrane fouling and energy consumption, higher membrane permeability, better recovery after cleaning and lower production of excess sludge. These advantages make Bf-MBR attractive as a technological solution for water reuse.
Request the full text paper from our team.
Organizations
The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway