Start-up period investigation of pilot-scale submerged membrane zelectro-bioreactor (SMEBR) treating raw municipal wastewater

Submerged membrane electro-bioreactor (SMEBR) is a new hybrid technology for wastewater treatment employing electrical field and microfiltration in a nutrient-removing activated sludge process. A pilot SMEBR system was located at the wastewater treatment plant in the City of l'Assomption (Quebec, Canada) with the objective of investigating the start-up period performance under variable organic loadings and environmental conditions with respect to effluent quality, membrane fouling, and sludge properties. The pilot SMEBR facility was fed with the raw de-gritted municipal wastewater. At steady state operation, the removal efficiencies of ammonia (as NH3+-N), phosphorus (as PO43--P), and COD were 99%, 99%, and 92%, respectively. No substantial increase in the monitored transmembrane pressure as 0.02 kPa d(-1) was reported. The time necessary to filter 100 mL of the sludge sample has decreased by 78% after treatment whilst the sludge volume index averaged 119 mL g(-1). Energy requirements were in the range of 1.1-1.6 kW h m(-3) of wastewater. It was concluded that the SMEBR is a very competitive technology when compared to conventional membrane systems as it can enhance treatment performance to an appreciable extent, remove phosphorus and reduce fouling. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.