Rapid start-up and excellent performance of anaerobic membrane bioreactor for treating poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) wastewater by using one-step feeding mode.

The traditional anaerobic treatment process for highly concentrated, toxic, and acidic poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) wastewater faces challenges. In contrast, the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) offers the advantage of robust performance, but the influence of start-up modes has not been explored. This study investigated the impact of one-step and stepwise startup (gradual dilution of wastewater) strategies in AnMBR treating PBAT wastewater. The results indicated that the one-step startup group achieved COD removal efficiency of 91.2% ± 2.7% and methane conversion rate of 234.7 ± 8.5 mLCH/gCOD, which were 21.7% and 81.8 mL CH/gCOD respectively higher than those achieved by the stepwise start-up group. Furthermore, the one-step startup led to the reduction of startup time by 10 days and the decrease in the average membrane fouling cycle by 6.6 days. Compared to the stepwise start-up group, the one-step startup group exhibited a lower abundance of Bacteroidota (11.3%), and a higher abundance of Proteobacteria (27.1%), Chloroflexi (10.5%), and Actinobacteria (11.8%). The one-step startup strategy facilitated the rapid development of a toxicity-tolerant hydrogenotrophic methanogenic pathway. Consequently, the one-step startup method provided a promising approach for the rapid start-up and excellent performance of AnMBR in PBAT wastewater treatment.