Demonstration of anaerobic membrane bioreactors for resource recovery in wastewater treatment applications.

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dc.contributor.advisorSoares, Ana
dc.contributor.advisorJefferson, Bruce
dc.contributor.authorPaissoni, Eleonora
dc.date.accessioned2024-06-19T13:08:51Z
dc.date.available2024-06-19T13:08:51Z
dc.date.freetoread2024-10-10
dc.date.issued2023-08
dc.descriptionJefferson, Bruce - Associate Supervisoren_UK
dc.description.abstractPilot-scale studies on anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) for municipal wastewater treatment at low temperature (<20°C) showed promising results, however, their application at larger scale is still relatively unknown. This study investigated the scalability of an AnMBR, comprising an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and an external ultrafiltration membrane tank, operating AnMBRs both at pilot- and demonstration-scale and identifying how sludge physical and microbiological properties, membrane design and variations in influent temperature, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulphate (SO₄) influence the successful scale-up of the technology. At pilot-scale, the source and adaptation of the inoculum and the orientation and arrangement of the membrane fibres did not affect the performance of the reactors. However, the use of horizontal hollow fibres led to lower gas sparging energy consumption compared to a vertical module. The membrane improved removal efficiencies (from 49-57% to 88-92% COD removal), solids hydrolysed (from 0.82-0.86 g/(L∙d) to 1.57-1.87 g/(L∙d)) and methane production (from 2.3-2.7 L/d to 5.3-5.7 L/d). Methanogenesis percentages were linearly correlated to hydrolysis, which in turn was affected by temperature and inversely correlated to the Sauter mean diameter of the sludge particles. Higher substrate affinities were found at the operational temperature of the reactors (15-20°C), while hydrolytic enzyme activities in UASB reactors and AnMBRs were higher at 37°C. Methane was mainly dissolved in the effluent (70-90%), implying the need for a recovery process to improve the net energy balance. At demonstration-scale, low COD:SO4 ratio caused competition between sulphate-reducing bacteria and methanogens, leading to a decrease in methane yield. This study proved that AnMBRs are a suitable technology to treat municipal wastewater, however site- specific control strategies to manage fouling and sulphate and appropriate post- treatments are necessary to ensure the successful application of the process at full-scale in temperate climates and the recovery of useful resources from wastewater.en_UK
dc.description.coursenamePhD in Water, including Designen_UK
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/22525
dc.language.isoen_UKen_UK
dc.publisherCranfield Universityen_UK
dc.publisher.departmentSWEEen_UK
dc.rights© Cranfield University, 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder.en_UK
dc.rights.embargodate2024-10-10
dc.subjectdemonstration-scaleen_UK
dc.subjectdissolved methaneen_UK
dc.subjectfoulingen_UK
dc.subjecthollow-fibreen_UK
dc.subjecthorizontally orientated membrane moduleen_UK
dc.subjecthydrolysisen_UK
dc.subjecthydrolytic enzyme activityen_UK
dc.subjectinoculumen_UK
dc.subjectlow temperatureen_UK
dc.subjectmethaneen_UK
dc.subjectmunicipal wastewateren_UK
dc.subjectpilot-scaleen_UK
dc.subjectscalabilityen_UK
dc.subjectsubstrate affinityen_UK
dc.subjectsulphate-reducing bacteriaen_UK
dc.subjectUASBen_UK
dc.subjectupflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactoren_UK
dc.titleDemonstration of anaerobic membrane bioreactors for resource recovery in wastewater treatment applications.en_UK
dc.typeThesis or dissertationen_UK
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen_UK
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_UK

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