title: Role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in membrane fouling of membrane bioreactor coupled with worm reactor.
abstract: This study focused on the effect of worm reactor on the fouling behaviors of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in the MBR coupled with Static Sequencing Batch Worm Reactor (SSBWR-MBR). The filtration tests showed that the C-EPS (EPS in Control-MBR) and S-EPS (EPS in SSBWR-MBR) resulted in 76% and 67% of flux decrement, respectively. On both fouling layers, the preferential accumulation was protein, but the adsorption efficiency for protein in C-EPS was 20% higher than that in S-EPS. In comparison with the membrane fouled by C-EPS, the bio-volume of protein on the membrane fouled by S-EPS reduced 33%, and the protein porosity increased 20%. Meanwhile, the S-EPS approaching the membrane had to overcome×2.4 stronger repulsive interaction energy than C-EPS, and the membrane fouled by S-EPS exhibited relatively smoother compared to that fouled by C-EPS. As a result, the fouling potential of S-EPS was lower than that of C-EPS.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (SKLUWRE, HIT), Harbin 150090, China. hittianyu@163.com
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Zhipeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yaobin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D000845:Annelida / Q000378:metabolism*; D018441:Biofilms; D057219:Biofouling; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D019149:Bioreactors; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000737:chemistry*; D005374:Filtration; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D016062:Porosity; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D008567:Membranes, Artificial