Research progress in influence factors on membrane fouling in membrane bioreactor

The progress of influence factors on membrane fouling in membrane bioreactor(MBR) was reviewed.Membrane fouling and its consequences in terms of decreasing flux and increasing operating cost were the bottleneck problems which blocked the widespread application of MBR.The main influence factors were analyzed from such three aspects as membrane inherent properties,operational parameters of membrane separation and mixed activated sludge liquor characteristics.The relationships between those influence factors and membrane fouling were also discussed.Those factors affected each other and brought direct or indirect influence to membrane fouling,of which the membrane material,membrane pore size,membrane flux,aeration rate,sludge fraction,particle size distribution(PSD),extracellular polymeric substance(EPS) and soluble microbial products(SMP),etc.were the most important influence factors.