title: High retention membrane bioreactors: challenges and opportunities.
abstract: Extensive research has focussed on the development of novel high retention membrane bioreactor (HR-MBR) systems for wastewater reclamation in recent years. HR-MBR integrates high rejection membrane separation with conventional biological treatment in a single step. High rejection membrane separation processes currently used in HR-MBR applications include nanofiltration, forward osmosis, and membrane distillation. In these HR-MBR systems, organic contaminants can be effectively retained, prolonging their retention time in the bioreactor and thus enhancing their biodegradation. Therefore, HR-MBR can offer a reliable and elegant solution to produce high quality effluent. However, there are several technological challenges associated with the development of HR-MBR, including salinity build-up, low permeate flux, and membrane degradation. This paper provides a critical review on these challenges and potential opportunities of HR-MBR for wastewater treatment and water reclamation, and aims to guide and inform future research on HR-MBR for fast commercialisation of this innovative technology.
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Laboratory, School of Civil Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: Wenhai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Laboratory, School of Civil Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: Faisal I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Hai
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Laboratory, School of Chemistry, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 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, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Hao H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ngo
authors.affiliation: Environmental Science Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Laboratory, School of Civil Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Electronic address: longn@uow.edu.au.
authors.forename: Long D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Nghiem
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D005374:Filtration; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D054712:Salinity; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial
keywords: Forward osmosis (FO); High retention membrane bioreactor; Membrane distillation (MD); Nanofiltration (NF); Trace organic chemicals (TrOCs)