title: Treatment of paper mill effluent using an anaerobic/aerobic hybrid side-stream membrane bioreactor.
abstract: This paper presents the design and operational performance data of an anaerobic/aerobic hybrid side-stream Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) process for treating paper mill effluent operated over a 6 month period. The paper mill effluent stream was characterized by a chemical oxygen demand (COD) range of between 1,600 and 4,400 mg/L and an average BOD of 2,400 mg/L. Despite large fluctuations in COD feed concentration, stable process performance was achieved. The anaerobic Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) pre-treatment step effectively lowered the organic loading by 65 to 85%, thus lowering the MBR COD feed concentration to consistently below 750 mg/L. The overall MBR COD removal was consistent at an average of 96%, regardless of the effluent COD or changes in the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR). Combining a high-rate anaerobic pre-treatment EGSB with a Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) MBR process configuration produced a high quality permeate. Preliminary NF and RO results indicated an overall COD removal of around 97 and 98%, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa. sheldonm@cput.ac.za
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sheldon
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Zeelie
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D019149:Bioreactors; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010209:Paper; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D007220:Industrial Waste