Biological performance and fouling mitigation in the biochar-amended anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating pharmaceutical wastewater

Linlin Chen; Peijin Cheng; Lu Ye; Hui Chen; Xiangyang Xu; Liang Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122805

Biological performance and fouling mitigation in the biochar-amended anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating pharmaceutical wastewater

Bioresour Technol. 2020 Apr:302:122805. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122805. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

Authors

Linlin Chen¹, Peijin Cheng¹, Lu Ye¹, Hui Chen², Xiangyang Xu³, Liang Zhu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institution of Environment Pollution Control and Treatment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² Department of Environmental Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang 318000, China.
³ Institution of Environment Pollution Control and Treatment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Water Pollution Control, 388 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China.
⁴ Institution of Environment Pollution Control and Treatment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Water Pollution Control, 388 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: felix79cn@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 32007847
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122805

Abstract

Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is an advanced technology in treating pharmaceutical wastewater, but the membrane fouling limits its development. In this study, the biochar with adsorption capacity of biopolymers was added in AnMBR to investigate its potential in treating pharmaceutical wastewater and alleviating membrane fouling. In the biochar-amended AnMBR, adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) was removed effectively, and more COD was biotransformed into CH₄. Membrane fouling mitigation was achieved in the third stage with a 56% decrease of average transmembrane pressure difference (TMP) rising rate. The predominant culprit, proteins of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS-proteins) in sludge mixture and cake layer, was reduced significantly. Particularly, the proportion of micromolecular (0.1-0.15 kDa) EPS-proteins in cake layer was 1.5-folds that of the control group. The important bio-foulant genus Arcobacter aggregating on the membrane had less and almost half the relative abundance (16.5%) than that of the control group (30.7%).

Keywords: Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR); Arcobacter; Biochar; EPS-proteins; Membrane fouling.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Bioreactors
Charcoal
Extracellular Polymeric Substance Matrix*
Membranes, Artificial
Sewage
Wastewater*

Substances

Membranes, Artificial
Sewage
Waste Water
biochar
Charcoal