Pilot Tests on the Treatment of Bath Wastewater by a Membrane Bioreactor

In order to save water and reduce the cost of water in public areas, we studied the feasibility of recycling bath wastewater by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) at a college campus scale. The results showed that the treatment of bath wastewater by the MBR could achieve a chemical oxygen demand (COD) <50 mg/L with an average removal rate of 83%, a final NH3-N concentration of <10 mg/L with an average removal rate of 72%, and a turbidity of <0.5 ntu, with an average value of chromaticity of 26.4 tu. The treated water could meet or exceed the urban miscellaneous water standard of China (GB/T 18920-2002), and the processing cost is 1.70 CNY/m(3) or 0.25 USD/m(3), which is below the price of tap water. The results demonstrated both the economic benefit and the conservation of natural resources.

Automated summary

The study showed that by using MBR to treat bath wastewater, the water quality can meet or exceed the urban miscellaneous water standard of China, and the processing cost is lower than tap water, demonstrating both cost savings and conservation of natural resources.