Analysis of membrane bioreactor performance for wastewater treatment using ranking methods

The research compares four types of different designs of membrane bioreactors: (1) with 295-mm draft tube and without plastic carriers; (2) plastic carriers and 295-mm draft tube; (3) plastic carriers and 235-mm draft tube with two meshes around the bottom and top of a draft tube; and (4) plastic carriers without a draft tube. The feed for the reactors was artificial wastewater made from domestic wastewater and chicken manure, and membrane test data were based on a hollow fiber membrane module under ambient desert conditions. Process operation type D is the optimal choice. Mathematical analysis using total ranking methods, multi-indicator decision-making, and Hasse diagram support this choice. Concerning analysis by the different tools, inconsistencies between the rankings are noticed. Partial order ranking, as a method without any pre-assumptions concerning the possible relation between the single parameters, proves to be an elegant ranking method.