Predicting membrane fouling in membrane bioreactor systems using viscosity: Impacts of environmental conditions and antifouling agents.

This study attempted to establish a viscosity-based prediction of membrane fouling. Various factors, including pH, temperature, MLSS concentration, and the addition of NaOCl and citric acid were identified, and their effect on sludge properties such as EPS concentration and wastewater viscosity were estimated. There was a very good correlation between these parameters with EPS concentration and viscosity.

Process Intensification for Enhanced Fluoride Removal and Recovery as Calcium Fluoride Using a Fluidized Bed Reactor.

This study explored the feasibility of fluoride removal from simulated semiconductor industry wastewater and its recovery as calcium fluoride using fluidized bed crystallization. The continuous reactor showed the best performance (>90% fluoride removal and >95% crystallization efficiency) at a calcium-to-fluoride ratio of 0.6 within the first 40 days of continuous operation.

Optimization of Calcium Fluoride Crystallization Process for Treatment of High-Concentration Fluoride-Containing Semiconductor Industry Wastewater.

This study utilized a fluidized bed reactor (FBR) for fluoride removal from high-concentration fluoride-ion-containing simulated semiconductor industry wastewater and recovered high-purity CaF crystals. The effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT), pH, Ca to F ratio, upflow velocity, seed size and seed bed height were investigated by performing lab-scale batch experiments. Considering fluoride removal and CaF crystallization efficiency, 5 h HRT, pH 6, seed height of 50 cm and [Ca]/[F] ratio of 0.

Sequential combination of nanofiltration and ettringite precipitation for managing sulfate-rich brines.

The sequential combination of nanofiltration (NF) and ettringite precipitation to manage sulfate-rich brine is proposed. In this study, NF experiments clearly demonstrated that sulfate-containing wastewater was effectively concentrated by the NF process (concentrate factor, CF > 5) with insignificant membrane fouling. Ettringite precipitation was implemented as an alternative to lime precipitation to process sulfate-rich brine resulting from the NF operation.

Alleviation of membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor with electrochemical oxidation mediated by in-situ free chlorine generation.

The control of membrane fouling is still the biggest challenge that membrane bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment faces with. In this report, we evince that an in-situ electrochemical free chlorine generation is effective for membrane fouling mitigation. An electrochemical oxidation (EO) apparatus with perforated Ti/IrO2 anodes and Ti/Pt cathodes was integrated into a conventional MBR with microfiltration module (EO-MBR).

Electroflotation clarifier to enhance nitrogen removal in a two-stage alternating aeration bioreactor.

Stringent water treatment criteria and rapidly growing pollutant loads provoke the demand for retrofitting wastewater treatment plants towards a higher capacity. In this study, we assess a two stage alternating aeration (AA) bioreactor equipped with electroflotation (EF) clarifier, for nitrogen removal within a short hydraulic retention time (HRT). The EF under steady solids loading required a minimum unit height and gas: solids ratio of 0.

Continuous clarification and thickening of activated sludge by electrolytic bubbles under control of scale deposition.

Electroflotation (EF) was investigated as a final clarification of an activated sludge process, to intensify its novel clarification and thickening efficiency. During operation of a biological reactor combined with an EF clarifier, deterioration of clarification efficiency was observed. Scale deposition on electrodes caused a coarse electrode surface, significantly increasing the size of the electrolytic bubbles.