Performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.

Anaerobic treatment of wastewater and waste organic solvents originating from the pharmaceutical and chemical industries was tested in a pilot anaerobic membrane bioreactor, which was operated for 580days under different operational conditions. The goal was to test the long-term treatment efficiency and identify inhibitory factors. The highest COD removal of up to 97% was observed when the influent concentration was increased by the addition of methanol (up to 25gL as COD).

Advanced enzymatic elimination of phenolic contaminants in wastewater: a nano approach at field scale.

The removal of recalcitrant chemicals in wastewater treatment systems is an increasingly relevant issue in industrialized countries. The elimination of persistent xenobiotics such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) emitted by municipal and industrial sewage treatment plants remains an unsolved challenge. The existing efficacious physico-chemical methods, such as advanced oxidation processes, are resource-intensive technologies.

Nitrification performance in a membrane bioreactor treating industrial wastewater.

The influence of industrial (pharmaceutical and chemical) wastewater composition on membrane bioreactor (MBR) performance was investigated in a pilot-scale installation. The study focussed on nitrification performance, which was evaluated based on influent and effluent parameters as well as batch nitrification rate tests. The industrial wastewater was pumped into the MBR in a mixture with municipal wastewater at constant flow rate.