1
|
Ranieri L, Esposito R, Nunes SP, Vrouwenvelder JS, Fortunato L. Biofilm rigidity, mechanics and composition in seawater desalination pretreatment employing ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 253:121282. [PMID: 38341976 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
The choice of appropriate biofilm control strategies in membrane systems for seawater desalination pretreatment relies on understanding the properties of the biofilm formed on the membrane. This study reveals how the biofilm composition, including both organic and inorganic, influenced the biofilm behavior under mechanical loading. The investigation was conducted on two Gravity-Driven Membrane reactors employing Microfiltration (MF) and Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane for the pretreatment of raw seawater. After a stabilization period of 20 days (Phase I), a biofilm behavior test was introduced (Phase II) to evaluate (i) biofilm deformation during the absence of permeation (i.e., relaxation) and (ii) biofilm resistance to detachment forces (i.e., air scouring). The in-situ monitoring investigation using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) revealed that the biofilms developed on MF and UF membrane presented a rigid structure in absence of filtration forces, limiting the application of relaxation and biofilm expansion necessary for cleaning. Moreover, under shear stress conditions, a higher reduction in biofilm thickness was observed for MF (-60%, from 84 to 34 µm) compared to UF (-30%, from 64 to 45 µm), leading to an increase of permeate flux (+60%, from 9.1 to 14.9 L/m2/h and +20 % from 7.8 to 9.5 L/m2/h, respectively). The rheometric analysis indicated that the biofilm developed on MF membrane had weaker mechanical strength, displaying lower storage modulus (-50 %) and lower loss modulus (-55 %) compared to UF. These differences in mechanical properties were linked to the lower concentration of polyvalent ions and the distribution of organic foulants (i.e., BB, LMW-N) found in the biofilm on the MF membrane. Moreover, in the presence of air scouring led to a slight difference in microbial community between UF and MF. Our findings provide valuable insight for future investigations aimed at engineer biofilm composition to optimize biofilm control strategies in membrane systems for seawater desalination pretreatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Ranieri
- Environmental Science & Engineering Program (EnSE), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rebecca Esposito
- Environmental Science & Engineering Program (EnSE), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials (AMPM) Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
| | - Suzana P Nunes
- Environmental Science & Engineering Program (EnSE), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Chemistry Program and Chemical Engineering Program, Physical Science and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials (AMPM) Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
| | - Johannes S Vrouwenvelder
- Environmental Science & Engineering Program (EnSE), Biological and Environmental Science & Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Luca Fortunato
- Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; MANN+HUMMEL Water & Fluid Solutions S.p.A., Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sohn W, Jiang J, Su Z, Zheng M, Wang Q, Phuntsho S, Kyong Shon H. Microbial community analysis of membrane bioreactor incorporated with biofilm carriers and activated carbon for nitrification of urine. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 397:130462. [PMID: 38369083 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The integration of powdered activated carbon and biofilm carriers in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) presents a promising approach to address the challenge of long hydraulic retention time (HRT) for nitrification of hydrolysed urine. This study investigated the effect of the incorporation in the MBR on microbial dynamics, focusing on dominant nitrifying bacteria. The results showed that significant shifts in microbial compositions were observed with the feed transition to full-strength urine and across different sludge growth forms. Remarkably, the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria Nitrospira were highly enriched in the suspended sludge. Simultaneously, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Nitrosococcaceae thrived in the attached biomass, showing a significant seven-fold increase in relative abundance compared to its suspended counterpart. Consequently, the incorporated MBR displayed 36% higher nitrification rate and 40% HRT reduction compared to the conventional MBR. This study provides valuable insights on the potential development of household or building scale on-site nutrient recovery from urine to fertiliser.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weonjung Sohn
- Australian Research Council Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Jiaxi Jiang
- Australian Research Council Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Zicheng Su
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Qilin Wang
- Australian Research Council Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Sherub Phuntsho
- Australian Research Council Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Ho Kyong Shon
- Australian Research Council Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sharghi EA, Ghasemian P, Davarpanah L, Faridizad G. Investigation of a membrane bioreactor's performances in treating sunflower oil refinery wastewater containing high oleic acid at different SRTs. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2023; 46:1613-1625. [PMID: 37656256 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-023-02923-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the MBR performance, sludge morphology, and membrane fouling potential in treating sunflower oil refinery wastewater containing high oleic acid at three different SRTs of 10 days, 40 days, and infinite. The analysis of mixed liquor morphology including sludge volume index, PSD, EPS, and SMP showed that the sludge flocs compressibility and bioflocculation considerably improved at 40-days SRT. Additionally, at this SRT, the mixed liquor O&G, COD, and SMP accumulation were low, and the microbial activity and COD removal were enhanced. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis results confirmed the formation of three different new compounds related to non-readily biodegradable recalcitrant oily compounds and SMP at all SRTs. The analysis of mixed liquor EPS, PSD, SMP, and effluent COD at three different SRTs suggests that under the industrial conditions of MBR operation treating SORW with high oleic acid, the optimal operating conditions are predicted to be at 40-days SRT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Abdollahzadeh Sharghi
- Environmental Group, Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center, P.O. Box 31787-316, Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
| | - P Ghasemian
- Environmental Group, Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center, P.O. Box 31787-316, Karaj, Alborz, Iran
| | - L Davarpanah
- Environmental Group, Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center, P.O. Box 31787-316, Karaj, Alborz, Iran
| | - G Faridizad
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hu Y, Chen C, Liu S, Jia W, Cao Y. Untargeted metabolomic analysis reveals the mechanism of Enterococcus faecium agent induced CaCO 3 scale inhibition. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:69205-69220. [PMID: 37138126 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27314-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a lactic acid bacterium, Enterococcus faecium, was found to prevent CaCO3 precipitation through its metabolism. On analysis of all stages of E. faecium growth, static jar tests demonstrated that stationary phase E. faecium broth possessed the highest inhibition efficiency of 97.3% at a 0.4% inoculation dosage, followed by the decline and log phases with efficiencies of 90.03% and 76.07%, respectively. Biomineralization experiments indicated that E. faecium fermented the substrate to produce organic acid, which resulted in modulation of the pH and alkalinity of the environment and thus inhibited CaCO3 precipitation. Surface characterization techniques indicated that the CaCO3 crystals precipitated by the E. faecium broth tended to be significantly distorted and formed other organogenic calcite crystals. The scale inhibition mechanisms were revealed by untargeted metabolomic analysis on log and stationary phase E. faecium broth. In total, 264 metabolites were detected, 28 of which were differential metabolites (VIP ≥ 1 and p < 0.05). Of these, 15 metabolites were upregulated in stationary phase broth, and 13 metabolites were downregulated in log phase broth. Metabolic pathway analysis suggested that improved glycolysis and the TCA cycle were the main reasons for enhancement of the antiscaling performance of E. faecium broth. These findings have significant implications for microbial metabolism-induced CaCO3 scale inhibition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanglin Hu
- Hebei Key Lab of Power Plant Flue Gas Multi-Pollutants Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, People's Republic of China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuanmin Chen
- Hebei Key Lab of Power Plant Flue Gas Multi-Pollutants Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, People's Republic of China.
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China.
| | - Songtao Liu
- Hebei Key Lab of Power Plant Flue Gas Multi-Pollutants Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, People's Republic of China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenbo Jia
- Hebei Key Lab of Power Plant Flue Gas Multi-Pollutants Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, People's Republic of China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Cao
- Hebei Key Lab of Power Plant Flue Gas Multi-Pollutants Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, People's Republic of China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Waheed H, Mehmood CT, Li Y, Du Y, Xiao Y. Biofouling control potential of quorum quenching anaerobes in lab-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactors: Foulants profile and microbial dynamics. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 315:137760. [PMID: 36610508 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Indigenously isolated anaerobes encoding four quorum quenching (QQ) enzymes were applied in immobilized- and bioaugmented forms for their implications on membrane foulants, microbial taxa, and biofouling control. Two identical anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) with different immobilizing media, i.e. silica-alginate (AnMBR-Si) and hollow fiber-alginate (AnMBR-Hf), were sequentially operated for two conventional and three QQ based phases. The synergistic addition of QQ anaerobes in free cells and the immobilized form prolonged the membrane filtration operation by 172 ± 29% and 284 ± 12% in AnMBR-Si and AnMBR-Hf, respectively. Biocake with low surface coverage was prominent during QQ application compared to conventional phases. Despite the better control of AHLs (3OC6-, C6-, 3OC8, C8, and C10-HSL) and AI-2 at various points of QQ phases, the QQ consortium could not maintain a low concentration of signals for longer period. Therefrom, quenching of targeted signal molecules instigate the dominance of microbial species bearing non-targeted quorum sensing mechanism. The QQ significantly altered the biofilm-forming community in mixed liquor, while the members with robust signal transduction systems became dominant to counteract the QQ mechanism and were the ultimate cause of biofouling. The improved methane content in biogas and increased methanogens composition during QQ phases demonstrated the synergism of exogenous and immobilized QQ as the most viable option for long-term AnMBR operation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hira Waheed
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, 515063, China
| | - Ch Tahir Mehmood
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, Guangdong, 515063, China
| | - Yiwei Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, 515063, China
| | - Ying Du
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, 515063, China
| | - Yeyuan Xiao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, 515063, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhang M, Leung KT, Lin H, Liao B. Evaluation of membrane fouling in a microalgal-bacterial membrane photobioreactor: Effects of SRT. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 839:156414. [PMID: 35660432 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As a novel system, the microalgal-bacterial membrane photobioreactor (MPBR) has better performance than the conventional MBRs in membrane fouling control. Nevertheless, how the operating conditions affect its fouling performance is rarely reported. In this study, a microalgal-bacterial MPBR was set and continuously operated to treat synthetic wastewater. Effects of solids retention time (SRT, 10, 20, and 30 d) on the membrane fouling were investigated. The results showed that the relationship between membrane fouling and SRT was nonlinear and the fastest membrane fouling was observed at SRT 20 d. The predominant fouling mechanism was gel layer formation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed a significant difference in the surface composition of the microalgal-bacterial consortia at different SRTs. The biological flocs at SRT of 20 d had the largest floc size, moderate filament abundance, and the highest content of bound EPS and SMP. The highest membrane fouling at SRT 20 d was mainly attributed to the highest concentration of EPS and SMP. Environmental stresses and fierce competition between microalgae and bacteria are considered to be the underlying reasons for the elevated production of EPS and SMP. In brief, optimizing the SRT value to control the balanced growth of microalgae and bacteria and keep them at an appropriate ratio is critical for delaying membrane fouling in microalgal-bacterial MPBR.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meijia Zhang
- Biotechnoloy Research Program, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada; Department of Biology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada; College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China.
| | - Kam-Tin Leung
- Biotechnoloy Research Program, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada; Department of Biology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada.
| | - Hongjun Lin
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, PR China.
| | - Baoqiang Liao
- Biotechnoloy Research Program, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada; Department of Chemical Engineering, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
A new integrated single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell - Anaerobic membrane bioreactor system for improving methane production and membrane fouling mitigation. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
8
|
Membrane Fouling Prediction Based on Tent-SSA-BP. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12070691. [PMID: 35877894 PMCID: PMC9318055 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12070691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In view of the difficulty in obtaining the membrane bioreactor (MBR) membrane flux in real time, considering the disadvantage of the back propagation (BP) network in predicting MBR membrane flux, such as the local minimum value and poor generalization ability of the model, this article introduces tent chaotic mapping in the standard sparrow search algorithm (SSA), which improves the uniformity of population distribution and the searching ability of the algorithm (used to optimize the key parameters of the BP network). The tent sparrow search algorithm back propagation network (Tent-SSA-BP) membrane fouling prediction model is established to achieve accurate prediction of membrane flux; compared to the BP, genetic algorithm back propagation network (GA-BP), particle swarm optimization back propagation network (PSO-BP), sparrow search algorithm extreme learning machine(SSA-ELM), sparrow search algorithm back propagation network (SSA-BP), and Tent particle swarm optimization back propagation network (Tent–PSO-BP) models, it has unique advantages. Compared with the BP model before improvement, the improved soft sensing model reduces MAPE by 96.76%, RMSE by 99.78% and MAE by 95.61%. The prediction accuracy of the algorithm proposed in this article reaches 97.4%, which is much higher than the 48.52% of BP. It is also higher than other prediction models, and the prediction accuracy has been greatly improved, which has some engineering reference value.
Collapse
|