Macroscopic approach to develop fouling model under GAC fluidization in anaerobic fluidized bed membrane bioreactor

A mathematical model was presented to understand membrane fouling in anaerobic fluidized bed membrane bioreactor (AFMBR). Assuming three fouling mechanisms, the cake formation, progressive porosity reduction and the pore blocking, the model describes the effect of granular activated carbon (GAC) on fouling resistance and mechanisms. The model shows satisfactory description of transmembrane pressure with R-2 approximate to 99%. Using GAC particles (2-3 mm) allows a better fouling mitigation by removing cake deposit while long term fouling is due to pore blocking. The fluidized small GAC particles (0.18-0.5 mm) foster the cake formation by their deposit on membrane surface. 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.