Treatment of fresh leachate by anaerobic membrane bioreactor: On-site investigation, long-term performance and response of microbial community

Weifu Yan; Yulin Wang; Yemei Li; Chao Rong; Dou Wang; Chunxiao Wang; Yubo Wang; Yee-Lok Yuen; Fanny Fong Wong; Ho-Kwong Chui; Yu-You Li; Tong Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129243

Treatment of fresh leachate by anaerobic membrane bioreactor: On-site investigation, long-term performance and response of microbial community

Bioresour Technol. 2023 Sep:383:129243. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129243. Epub 2023 May 29.

Authors

Weifu Yan¹, Yulin Wang¹, Yemei Li², Chao Rong², Dou Wang¹, Chunxiao Wang¹, Yubo Wang¹, Yee-Lok Yuen³, Fanny Fong Wong³, Ho-Kwong Chui³, Yu-You Li², Tong Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
² Laboratory of Environmental Protection Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aza-Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan.
³ Environmental Protection Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
⁴ Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: zhangt@hku.hk.

PMID: 37257727
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129243

Abstract

This study proposed fresh leachate treatment with anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) based on the on-site investigation of the characteristics of fresh leachate. Temperature-related profiles of fresh leachate properties, like chemical oxygen demand (COD), were observed. In addition, AnMBR achieved a high COD removal of 98% with a maximum organic loading rate (OLR) of 19.27 kg-COD/m³/d at the shortest hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1.5 d. The microbial analysis implied that the abundant protein and carbohydrate degraders (e.g., Thermovirga and Petrimonas) as well as syntrophic bacteria, such as Syntrophomonas, ensured the effective adaptation of AnMBR to the reduced HRTs. However, an excessive OLR at 36.55 kg-COD/m³/d at HRT of 1 d resulted in a sharp decrease in key microbes, such as archaea (from 37% to 15%), finally leading to the deterioration of AnMBR. This study provides scientific guidance for treating fresh leachate by AnMBR and its full-scale application for high-strength wastewater.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Hydraulic retention time; Microbial diversity; Organic loading rate; Refuse transfer station.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Bioreactors*
Methane
Microbiota*
Waste Disposal, Fluid* / methods
Wastewater

Substances

Methane
Wastewater