title: A comparison study on membrane fouling in a sponge-submerged membrane bioreactor and a conventional membrane bioreactor.
abstract: This study compared membrane fouling in a sponge-submerged membrane bioreactor (SSMBR) and a conventional membrane bioreactor (CMBR) based on sludge properties when treating synthetic domestic wastewater. In the CMBR, soluble microbial products (SMP) in activated sludge were a major contributor for initial membrane fouling and presented higher concentration in membrane cake layer. Afterwards, membrane fouling was mainly governed by bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in activated sludge, containing lower proteins but significantly higher polysaccharides. Sponge addition could prevent cake formation on membrane surface and pore blocking inside membrane, thereby alleviating membrane fouling. The SSMBR exhibited not only less growth of the biomass and filamentous bacteria, but also lower cake layer and pore blocking resistance due to lower bound EPS concentrations in activated sludge. Less membrane fouling in SSMBR were also attributed to larger particle size, higher zeta potential and relative hydrophobicity of sludge flocs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Wenshan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia. Electronic address: h.ngo@uts.edu.au.
authors.forename: Huu Hao
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ngo
authors.affiliation: Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Siqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Hollow Fiber Membrane Materials and Processes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China.
authors.forename: Jianxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D064751:Ammonium Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D057219:Biofouling; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000032:analysis; D019149:Bioreactors; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010316:Particle Size; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology; D055672:Static Electricity; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D064751:Ammonium Compounds; D001704:Biopolymers; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012722:Sewage; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Attached growth; Cake layer; Membrane fouling; Sponge; Submerged membrane bioreactor