The present study has been aimed to quantify the role of pore blocking and cake filtration in a labscale hollow fibre membrane module in submerged configuration. The MBR has been feed with raw wastewater, only screened with a sieve of 2 mm, collected from the Palermo WWTP. The MBR has been characterized by an operating volume of 190 litres and it has been equipped with an aeration system located on the bottom of the reactor. The MBR operated for 65 days. The permeate has been extracted by imposing a constant flux through the membrane (21 Lh-1m-2). The results confirm the importance of pore blocking control during start-up. In particular, it provides a rapid irreversible fouling that takes place at the beginning of the filtration process, before the deposition mechanism. Therefore, low SS concentration in the initial phase causes a fast irreversible fouling. This circumstance causes a need of more frequent chemical cleaning after start-up without inoculum. Finally, the results underline that the cake has a mainly reversible feature.

The role of fouling mechanisms in a membrane bioreactor

DI BELLA, GAETANO;
2006-01-01

Abstract

The present study has been aimed to quantify the role of pore blocking and cake filtration in a labscale hollow fibre membrane module in submerged configuration. The MBR has been feed with raw wastewater, only screened with a sieve of 2 mm, collected from the Palermo WWTP. The MBR has been characterized by an operating volume of 190 litres and it has been equipped with an aeration system located on the bottom of the reactor. The MBR operated for 65 days. The permeate has been extracted by imposing a constant flux through the membrane (21 Lh-1m-2). The results confirm the importance of pore blocking control during start-up. In particular, it provides a rapid irreversible fouling that takes place at the beginning of the filtration process, before the deposition mechanism. Therefore, low SS concentration in the initial phase causes a fast irreversible fouling. This circumstance causes a need of more frequent chemical cleaning after start-up without inoculum. Finally, the results underline that the cake has a mainly reversible feature.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11387/10283
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