A study on fouling controls in MBR

• Main Author: Christie Prajitno.
• Other Authors: Chui, Peng Cheong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering::Water treatment
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/14160
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Membrane bioreactor becomes more popular due to its small space requirement, ability to cope with varied loading and low biomass production. However, fouling has been a major problem in its development, leading to lower permeate quality and higher operational cost. The aim of the project was to study four widely known fouling controls to improve performance in the hollow fiber microfiltration in submerged membrane bioreactor. These controls were relaxation, backwashing, chemical cleaning, and powdered activated carbon (PAC) addition. Furthermore, kaolin has also been investigated for the feasibility as alternative anti-fouling since similar to PAC, it might have the ability to change cake layer structure by increasing the porosity and hence increasing the flux.