Sludge free and energy neutral treatment of sewage

Anaerobic biological processes have been recognized as the most suitable pathway towards sustainable wastewater treatment due to the lower energy required and the lower amounts of biosolids generated when compared to conventional aerobic technologies. The difficulties experienced with the implementation of anaerobic reactors for the treatment of low strength wastewater at low temperatures are related to the deterioration of treatment capacity and effluent quality due to inefficient removal of colloidal matter and biomass washout. Membrane technology can overcome the limitation of anaerobic bioreactors since they retain not only solids but also colloidal and high molecular weight organics. This thesis explores the potential of anaerobic membrane bioreactors as core technology for mainstream wastewater treatment. The impacts of seed sludge, temperatures and bioreactors configuration on treatment efficiency and membrane performance as well as nutrient removal using ion exchange resins are investigated. Cont/d.