Impact of hydraulic retention time and organic matter concentration on side-stream aerobic granular membrane bioreactor.

This study investigated the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration on membrane fouling in aerobic granular membrane bioreactor (AGMBR) in a systematic approach. Changes in HRT (7, 10, and 15 h) and COD (500, 1000 and 1500 mg/L) were applied in five operational phases, to determine the most significant parameters to control membrane fouling for enhanced AGMBR performance. Membrane permeability loss was dramatically intensified with increase in HRT from 7.