Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for antibiotic wastewater treatment: Performance and membrane fouling issues

Dongle Cheng; Huu Hao Ngo; Wenshan Guo; Yiwen Liu; Soon Woong Chang; Dinh Duc Nguyen; Long Duc Nghiem; Junliang Zhou; Bingjie Ni

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.133

Anaerobic membrane bioreactors for antibiotic wastewater treatment: Performance and membrane fouling issues

Bioresour Technol. 2018 Nov:267:714-724. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.133. Epub 2018 Jul 31.

Authors

Dongle Cheng¹, Huu Hao Ngo², Wenshan Guo³, Yiwen Liu¹, Soon Woong Chang⁴, Dinh Duc Nguyen⁵, Long Duc Nghiem¹, Junliang Zhou¹, Bingjie Ni¹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NWS 2007, Australia.
² Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NWS 2007, Australia; Joint Research Centre for Protective Infrastructure Technology and Environmental Green Bioprocess, Department of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China. Electronic address: ngohuuhao121@gmail.com.
³ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NWS 2007, Australia; Joint Research Centre for Protective Infrastructure Technology and Environmental Green Bioprocess, Department of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.
⁴ Department of Environmental Energy & Engineering, Kyonggi University, 442-760, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Department of Environmental Energy & Engineering, Kyonggi University, 442-760, Republic of Korea; Institution of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Viet Nam.

PMID: 30082132
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.133

Abstract

Antibiotic wastewater has become a major concern due to the toxicity and recalcitrance of antibiotics. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) are considered alternative technology for treating antibiotic wastewater because of their advantages over the conventional anaerobic processes and aerobic MBRs. However, membrane fouling remains the most challenging issue in the AnMBRs' operation and this limits their application. This review critically discusses: (i) antibiotics removal and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in different types of AnMBRs and the impact of antibiotics on membrane fouling and (ii) the integrated AnMBRs systems for fouling control and removal of antibiotics. The presence of antibiotics in AnMBRs could aggravate membrane fouling by influencing fouling-related factors (i.e., sludge particle size, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), and fouling-related microbial communities). Conclusively, integrated AnMBR systems can be a practical technology for antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Anaerobic membrane bioreactors; Antibiotic resistance genes; Antibiotic wastewater treatment; Membrane fouling.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / isolation & purification*
Bioreactors*
Membranes, Artificial
Sewage
Waste Disposal, Fluid*
Wastewater

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Membranes, Artificial
Sewage
Waste Water