Flux-Dependent Fouling Phenomena in Membrane Bioreactors under Different Food to Microorganisms (F/M) Ratios

Bing Wu*, Tamotsu Kitade, Tzyy Haur Chong, Jia Yi Lee, Tadahiro Uemura, Anthony G. Fane

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper investigated the effect of food to microorganisms (F/M) ratios in the MBRs on membrane fouling propensities at fluxes of 10, 20, and 30 L/m2 hr (LMH). The high F/M-MBR had different biomass properties, more soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and faster fouling rate compared to the low F/M-MBR. However, the fouling mechanisms at the three fluxes were dissimilar. At a low flux, the microbial flocs dominant cake layers facilitated catching the soluble EPS to increase resistance. At a high flux, the great accumulation of soluble EPS (especially soluble polysaccharides) to form gel-like cake layers predominantly induced membrane fouling. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Separation Science and Technology to view the free supplemental file.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)840-848
Number of pages9
JournalSeparation Science and Technology
Volume48
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2013
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Process Chemistry and Technology
  • Filtration and Separation

Keywords

  • adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
  • extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)
  • fouling rate
  • soluble polysaccharides
  • transparent exopolymer particles (TEP)

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