Optimization of In Situ Backwashing Frequency for Stable Operation of Anaerobic Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor

Rathmalgodage Thejani Nilusha; Tuo Wang; Hongyan Wang; Dawei Yu; Junya Zhang; Yuansong Wei

LAPSE

Living Archive for Process Systems Engineering

LAPSE:2020.0813

Published Article

LAPSE:2020.0813

Optimization of In Situ Backwashing Frequency for Stable Operation of Anaerobic Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor

Rathmalgodage Thejani Nilusha, Tuo Wang, Hongyan Wang, Dawei Yu, Junya Zhang, Yuansong Wei

July 7, 2020

The cost-effective and stable operation of an anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) depends on operational strategies to minimize membrane fouling. A novel strategy for backwashing, filtration and relaxation was optimized for stable operation of a side stream tubular AnCMBR treating domestic wastewater at the ambient temperature. Two in situ backwashing schemes (once a day at 60 s/day, and twice a day at 60 s × 2/day) maintaining 55 min filtration and 5 min relaxation as a constant were compared. A flux level over 70% of the initial membrane flux was stabilized by in situ permeate backwashing irrespective of its frequency. The in situ backwashing by permeate once a day was better for energy saving, stable membrane filtration and less permeate consumption. Ex situ chemical cleaning after 60 days’ operation was carried out using pure water, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and citric acid as the order. The dominant cake layer was effectively reduced by in situ backwashing, and the major organic foulants were fulvic acid-like substances and humic acid-like substances. Proteobacteria, Firmucutes, Epsilonbacteria and Bacteroides were the major microbes attached to the ceramic membrane fouling layer which were effectively removed by NaOCl.

Record ID

LAPSE:2020.0813

Keywords

ambient temperature, backwashing, ceramic membrane, domestic wastewater, flux recovery

Subject

Process Operations

Suggested Citation

Thejani Nilusha R, Wang T, Wang H, Yu D, Zhang J, Wei Y. Optimization of In Situ Backwashing Frequency for Stable Operation of Anaerobic Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor. (2020). LAPSE:2020.0813

Author Affiliations

Thejani Nilusha R: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Env [ORCID]
Wang T: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Env
Wang H: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Env
Yu D: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Env
Zhang J: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Env
Wei Y: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Env [ORCID]

Journal Name

Processes

Volume

8

Issue

5

Article Number

E545

Year

2020

Publication Date

2020-05-07