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Mamba PP, Msagati TAM, Mamba BB, Motsa MM, Nkambule TTI. The removal of pathogenic bacteria and dissolved organic matter from freshwater using microporous membranes: insights into biofilm formation and fouling reversibility. BIOFOULING 2024; 40:245-261. [PMID: 38639133 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2024.2339438] [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: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Pathogenic bacteria in drinking-water pose a health risk to consumers, as they compromise the quality of portable water. Chemical disinfection of water containing dissolved organic matter (DOM) causes harmful disinfection by-products. In this work, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) blended polyethersulfone membranes were fabricated and characterised using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The membranes were evaluated for the removal of bacteria and DOM from synthetic and environmental water. Permeate flux increased from 287.30 to 374.60 l m-2 h-1 at 3 bars when 4-HBA increased from 0 to 1.5 wt.%, suggesting that 4-HBA influenced the membrane's affinity for water. Furthermore, 4-HBA demonstrated antimicrobial properties by inhibiting bacterial growth. The membrane with 1 wt.% 4-HBA recorded 99.4 and 100% bacteria removal in synthetic and environmental water, respectively. Additionally, DOM removal of 55-73% was achieved. A flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 94.6% was obtained when a mixture of bacteria and humic acid was filtered, implying better fouling layer reversibility during cleaning. Furthermore, 100% FRR was achieved when a multimedia granular filtration step was installed prior to membrane filtration. The results illustrated that the membranes had a high permeate flux with low irreversible fouling. This indicated the potential of the membranes in treating complex feed streams using simple cleaning protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phumlile P Mamba
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Titus A M Msagati
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bhekie B Mamba
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Machawe M Motsa
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thabo T I Nkambule
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Florida, Johannesburg, South Africa
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2
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Huang R, Geng M, Gao S, Yin X, Tian J. In-depth insight into improvement of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification/biofouling control by increasing sludge concentration in membrane reactor: performance, microbial assembly and metagenomic analysis. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 393:130013. [PMID: 37956947 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130013] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Currently, severe membrane fouling and inefficient nitrogen removal were two main issues that hindered the sustainable operation and further application of membrane bioreactor (MBR). This study aimed to simultaneously alleviate membrane fouling and improve nitrogen removal by applying high sludge concentration in MBR. Results showed that high sludge concentration (12000 mg/L) enhanced total nitrogen removal efficiency (78 %) and reduced transmembrane pressure development rate. Microbial community analysis revealed that high sludge concentration enriched functional bacteria associated with nitrogen removal, increased filamentous bacteria fraction in bio-cake and inhibited Thiothrix overgrowth in bulk sludge. From molecular level, the key genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, electron donor/adenosine triphosphate production and amino acid degradation were up-regulated under high sludge concentration. Overall, high sludge concentration improved microbial assembly and functional gene abundance, which not only enhanced nitrogen removal but also alleviated membrane fouling. This study provided an effective strategy for sustainable operation of MBR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Huang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China; Guangdong GDH Water Co. Ltd, Shenzhen 518021, China; School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Mingyue Geng
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China.
| | - Shanshan Gao
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
| | - Xing Yin
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
| | - Jiayu Tian
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
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Banti DC, Samaras P, Kostopoulou E, Tsioni V, Sfetsas T. Improvement of MBBR-MBR Performance by the Addition of Commercial and 3D-Printed Biocarriers. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:690. [PMID: 37623751 PMCID: PMC10456846 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13080690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Moving bed biofilm reactor combined with membrane bioreactor (MBBR-MBR) constitute a highly effective wastewater treatment technology. The aim of this research work was to study the effect of commercial K1 biocarriers (MBBR-MBR K1 unit) and 3D-printed biocarriers fabricated from 13X and Halloysite (MBBR-MBR 13X-H unit), on the efficiency and the fouling rate of an MBBR-MBR unit during wastewater treatment. Various physicochemical parameters and trans-membrane pressure were measured. It was observed that in the MBBR-MBR K1 unit, membrane filtration improved reaching total membrane fouling at 43d, while in the MBBR-MBR 13X-H and in the control MBBR-MBR total fouling took place at about 32d. This is attributed to the large production of soluble microbial products (SMP) in the MBBR-MBR 13X-H, which resulted from a large amount of biofilm created in the 13X-H biocarriers. An optimal biodegradation of the organic load was concluded, and nitrification and denitrification processes were improved at the MBBR-MBR K1 and MBBR-MBR 13X-H units. The dry mass produced on the 13X-H biocarriers ranged at 4980-5711 mg, three orders of magnitude larger than that produced on the K1, which ranged at 2.9-4.6 mg. Finally, it was observed that mostly extracellular polymeric substances were produced in the biofilm of K1 biocarriers while in 13X-H mostly SMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra C. Banti
- QLAB Private Company, Research & Development, Quality Control and Testing Services, 57008 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.K.); (V.T.); (T.S.)
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Geotechnical Sciences, International Hellenic University, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Petros Samaras
- Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Geotechnical Sciences, International Hellenic University, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Eleni Kostopoulou
- QLAB Private Company, Research & Development, Quality Control and Testing Services, 57008 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.K.); (V.T.); (T.S.)
| | - Vassiliki Tsioni
- QLAB Private Company, Research & Development, Quality Control and Testing Services, 57008 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.K.); (V.T.); (T.S.)
| | - Themistoklis Sfetsas
- QLAB Private Company, Research & Development, Quality Control and Testing Services, 57008 Thessaloniki, Greece; (E.K.); (V.T.); (T.S.)
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Rahman TU, Roy H, Islam MR, Tahmid M, Fariha A, Mazumder A, Tasnim N, Pervez MN, Cai Y, Naddeo V, Islam MS. The Advancement in Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology toward Sustainable Industrial Wastewater Management. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:membranes13020181. [PMID: 36837685 PMCID: PMC9965322 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13020181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The advancement in water treatment technology has revolutionized the progress of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology in the modern era. The large space requirement, low efficiency, and high cost of the traditional activated sludge process have given the necessary space for the MBR system to come into action. The conventional activated sludge (CAS) process and tertiary filtration can be replaced by immersed and side-stream MBR. This article outlines the historical advancement of the MBR process in the treatment of industrial and municipal wastewaters. The structural features and design parameters of MBR, e.g., membrane surface properties, permeate flux, retention time, pH, alkalinity, temperature, cleaning frequency, etc., highly influence the efficiency of the MBR process. The submerged MBR can handle lower permeate flux (requires less power), whereas the side-stream MBR can handle higher permeate flux (requires more power). However, MBR has some operational issues with conventional water treatment technologies. The quality of sludge, equipment requirements, and fouling are major drawbacks of the MBR process. This review paper also deals with the approach to address these constraints. However, given the energy limitations, climatic changes, and resource depletion, conventional wastewater treatment systems face significant obstacles. When compared with CAS, MBR has better permeate quality, simpler operational management, and a reduced footprint requirement. Thus, for sustainable water treatment, MBR can be an efficient tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanzim Ur Rahman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Hridoy Roy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Reazul Islam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
- Department of Civil Engineering, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71270, USA
| | - Mohammed Tahmid
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Athkia Fariha
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Antara Mazumder
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Nishat Tasnim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Nahid Pervez
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Yingjie Cai
- Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Clean Production and High Value Utilization of Bio-Based Textile Materials, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China
| | - Vincenzo Naddeo
- Sanitary Environmental Engineering Division (SEED), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Md. Shahinoor Islam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
- Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1341, Bangladesh
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Wang L, Wei J, Zhou C, Yang S. A Simple and Efficient Solar Interfacial Evaporation Device Based on Carbonized Cattail and Agarose Hydrogel for Water Evaporation and Purification. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1076. [PMID: 36363631 PMCID: PMC9692801 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12111076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
One of the main trends in the development of solar interface evaporation technology is the simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly bio-based evaporation device. However, the development of bio-based evaporators with high water evaporation rates and good pollution removal capability is a significant challenge. Here, we present a carbonized cattail-agarose hydrogel (CCAH) membrane with numerous microchannels resembling bamboo knots, exceptional hydrophilicity, outstanding light absorption capability, and potent adsorption. Under one solar irradiation, its evaporation rate and efficiency reached 1.93 kg m-2 h-1 and 95.8%, respectively. More importantly, the CCAH membrane produces steam water that is almost totally free of salts (Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+), heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cr2+), and organic dyes (Rhodamine B, methylene blue, and methyl orange). The CCAH membrane is highly promising for the use of saltwater desalination and wastewater recovery to help people in impoverished areas with water scarcity problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Wang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Nanjing Polytechnic Institute, 188 Xinle Road, Nanjing 210048, China
| | - Jilei Wei
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, 180 Siwangting Road, Yangzhou 225002, China
| | - Chen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, 180 Siwangting Road, Yangzhou 225002, China
- Department of Physical Sciences, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093, USA
| | - Shengyang Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, 180 Siwangting Road, Yangzhou 225002, China
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Sengar A, Vijayanandan A. Effects of pharmaceuticals on membrane bioreactor: Review on membrane fouling mechanisms and fouling control strategies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 808:152132. [PMID: 34863739 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals have become contaminants of emerging concern due to their toxicity towards aquatic life and pseudo persistent nature in the environment. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is one such technology that has the potential to act as a barrier against the release of pharmaceuticals into the environment. Fouling is the deposition of the constituents of the mixed liquor on the membrane surface and it limit the world-wide applicability of MBRs. To remove foulant layer, aggressive chemicals and extra cost consideration in terms of energy are required. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) are recognized as principal foulants. Presence of pharmaceuticals has been found to increase the fouling in MBRs. Fouling aggravates in proportion to the concentration of pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals exert chemical stress in microbes, hence forcing them to secrete more EPS/SMP. Pharmaceuticals alter the composition of the foulants and affect microbial metabolism, thereby inflicting direct/indirect effects on fouling. Pharmaceuticals have been found to increase or decrease the size of sludge flocs, however the exact mechanism that govern the floc size change is yet to be understood. Different techniques such as coupling advanced oxidation processes with MBR, adding activated carbon, bioaugmenting MBR with quorum quenching strains have shown to reduce fouling in MBRs treating pharmaceutical wastewater. These fouling mitigation techniques work on reducing the EPS/SMP concentration, thereby alleviating fouling. The present review provides a comprehensive understanding of the effects induced by pharmaceuticals in the activated sludge characteristics and identifying the fouling mechanism. Furthermore, significant knowledge gaps and recent advances in fouling mitigation strategies are discussed. This review has also made an effort to highlight the positive aspect of the foulant layer in retaining pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance genes, thereby suggesting a possible delicate trade-off between the flux decline and enhanced removal of pharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Sengar
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Arya Vijayanandan
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
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Liao G, Bin L, Tang B, Li P, Qiu B, Huang Z, Huang S, Fu F. Insights into the fouling layer of flat-sheet membrane and its development in an integrated oxidation ditch-membrane bioreactor. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 345:126466. [PMID: 34864179 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126466] [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: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This work revealed the characteristics of fouling layer on the flat-sheet membranes and its development in an integrated oxidation-ditch membrane bioreactor. During the operation period (130 days), the reactor performed very well in removing pollutants. As the operation proceeded, membrane fouling occurred on the flat-sheet membranes and trans-membrane pressure showed a cyclical variation. The experimental results showed that the process of membrane fouling appeared successively in two different structures: biofilm (BF) and sludge fouling (SF). The substances causing membrane fouling were mainly organic foulants and a small amount of inorganic metal compounds, especially the protein-like and fulvic acid-like substances in loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS). The analysis of microbial communities revealed that SF and BF had very different microbial properties. Although most membrane foulants could be removed by physical and chemical cleaning methods, the protein-like and fulvic acid-like substances in BF were contribute much to causing irreversible membrane fouling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guohao Liao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Liying Bin
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Bing Tang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
| | - Ping Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Bangqiao Qiu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Zhaole Huang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Shaosong Huang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Fenglian Fu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
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