Fouling Characteristics and Prevention Techniques for Membrane Bioreactor

Membrane fouling is the main problem of membrane bioreactors (MBR), which seriously influ- ences its wastewater treatment effect and running. The characteristics of microbiology and hydrodynamics concerning membrane fouling were investigated and the measure was put forward for optimum operation of MBR. The measure is that 1) the parameters of activated sludge concentration (X) and membrane flux should be lower than the critical values of X and membrane flux respectively, and 2) the activated sludge should be discharged periodically. The experimental results show that the combination backwashing of gas and perme- ated effluent is better than single gas backwashing or single permeated effluent backwashing. This technique can remove the cake layer deposited on the membrane surface, decrease the membrane fouling, and recover the membrane flux effectively. So it is effective for prevention of membrane fouling.