MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT

DEF :- Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) combines a conventional activated sludge treatment with a membrane liquid-solid separation process.

The arrival of membranes makes the wastewater treatment easier nowadays. This syatem not only gives a high effluent quality but also reduce negative impacts of discharging a treated effluent to inland waterways, but the range of possible reuse options is wider when a high quality effluent is available.Activated sludge process (ASP) , which is the oldest technique in wastewater treatment , is combined with highly efficient membrane filtration to start a sophisticated technique called Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). It is an efficient process for maintaining a long solids retention time(SRT) at a relatively short hydraulic retention time(HRT),which is needed for the treatment of waste water. MBR is favored to all other conventional techniques because the treated water is free from suspended solids and microorganisms, thus making it suitable for reuse. This unique application gives high degradation rates, extremely low sludge production and very compact design. This seminar includes the conventional activated sludge process, description of membrane bioreactor operation, various types of filtrations that are used in it, its design parameters and applications. It also gives a brief description of the cleaning of the membrane. The MBR technology has a number of advantages.The most important thing to be considered when employing an MBR is that it is not economical to run a membrane bioreactor at low treatment capacity and high treatment is much more complicated to stabilize.So,before,stabilizing an MBr,one should go for technical feasibility as well as economical feasibility.If these two are satisfactory,then Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) is the best option to treat municipal as well as industrial wastewater.

1.conventional activated sludge treatment process

2.Membrane bioreator operation

In an MBR, membrane filtration occurs either within the bioreactor (submerged configuration) or externally through recirculation, subject to a pressure drop across the membrane driven by either the hydraulic head or a pump. The UF or MF membranes utilized by MBRs have pore sizes such that water and most solute species pass through the membrane whilst other larger species, such as solids and microorganisms, are retained. The choice between operating options is dependent upon the application, as both systems have advantages and disadvantages (Table 2). Aeration within the bioreactor provides the required oxygen transfer for growth of the biomass and mixing of the reactor. In the submerged configuration a coarse bubble diffuser is generally used.This system does not offer very efficient oxygen transfer but the rising bubbles provide a turbulent crossflow velocity (approximately 1 m/s) over the surface of the membrane. This helps to maintain the flux through the membrane, by reducing the build up of material at the membrane surface, and thereby increases the operational cycle of the system.

Membrane Bioreactor is an advancement over the conventional activated sludge process with the use of ultrafiltration or, microfiltration membrane which helps to maintain higher levels of Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) concentration and attain better treated water quality. Utilization of membrane filtration results in the retention of active micro-organisms, extra cellular enzymes generated by these micro-organisms for degradation of the organics present in the effluent, organics resulting from cell-lysis, and other heavy molecular weight organics typical of textile effluent. Since some micro-organisms, especially nitrifiers, are slowly growing one, their loss shall reduce the efficiency of the treatement system and nutrient removal. Under coventional biological treatment these micro-organisms might escape from the aeration tank and the weirs of clarifier. In the MBR, these organisms are retained and a better treatment is achieved thereof. In addition, retention of active enzymes secreted by mico-organisms taking part in the metabolization of organics present in the textile waste water is an important aspect of MBR technology. Maintenance of higher concentration of these enzymes shall result in rapid and better degradation of complex organic molecules present in the textile waste water. Thus, the overall efficiency of BOD and COD removal is improved, detention time required to achieve specific BOD and COD is brought down, and requird footprint is also minimized.

(a) Side stream MBR configuration with a separate membrane filtration unit;

(b) submerged MBR configuration with membrane unit integrated into the bioreactor.

Submerged MBR Aeration costs high (~90%) Very low liquid pumping costs (higher if suction pump is used ~28%) Lower flux (larger footprint) Less frequent cleaning required Lower operating costs Higher capital costs

Side-Stream MBR Aeration costs low (~20%) High pumping costs (60-80%) Higher flux (smaller footprint) More frequent cleaning required Higher operating costs Lower capital costs

3.Conventinal asp vs mbr

KEY BENEFITS OF MBR

1.High efficiency / Low maintenance 2.Membrane modules are backflushable 3.Easy to clean 4.Yield 60-80% less sludge than conventional system 5.Compact design footprint 75% smaller than conventional 6.Possibility of direct and indirect water reuse
There are broadly four categories of membrane types, with classification being dependent on the pore size of the membrane. These categories, from smallest to largest pore size, are a.reverse osmosis (RO), b. nanofiltration (NF), c. ultrafiltration (UF) and d. microfiltration (MF)

MBR Typical Applications

1.MBR in Aerobic/Anaerobic Biological Treatment: - Most common - Well characterized in municipal / domestic wastewater treatment 2.Industrial Application: - Process water - Wastewater 3.Land field leachate

CONCLUSIONS
Effluent quality is consistently high and generally independent of the influent quality.

Good disinfection capability, with significant bacterial and viral reductions achievable using UF and MF membranes. Longer retention of nitrifying bacteria within the bioreactor results in greater nitrification than in a conventional ASP. Denitrification can be achieved by utilizing a second anoxic vessel. Long sludge ages result in lower sludge production. Small footprint technology. Proven reliability and easy operation