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Effects of Sludge Concentrations and Different Sponge Configurations on the Performance of a Sponge-Submerged Membrane Bioreactor

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Abstract

The performance of a novel sponge-submerged membrane bioreactor (SSMBR) was evaluated to treat primary treated sewage effluent at three different activated sludge concentrations. Polyurethane sponge cubes with size of 1 × 1 × 1 cm were used as attached growth media in the bioreactor. The results indicated the successful removal of organic carbon and phosphorous with the efficiency higher than 98% at all conditions. Acclimatised sponge MBR showed about 5% better ammonia nitrogen removal at 5 and 10 g/L sludge concentration as compared to the new sponge system. The respiration test revealed that the specific oxygen uptake rate was around 1.0–3.5 mgO2/gVSS.h and likely more stable at 10 g/L sludge concentration. The sludge volume index of less than 100 mL/g during the operation indicated the good settling property of the sludge. The low mixed liquor suspended solid increase indicated that SSMBR could control the sludge production. This SSMBR was also successful in reducing membrane fouling with significant lower transmembrane pressure (e.g. only 0.5 kPa/day) compared to the conventional MBR system. Further study will be conducted to optimise other operating conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Industry Linkage Grant (LP0882089). The authors are also grateful for the support of UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and UTS Early Career Researcher Grants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Tien Thanh Nguyen, Huu Hao Ngo & Wenshan Guo

  2. Laboratory for Membrane Materials and Separation Technology, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China

    Jianxin Li

  3. State Key Laboratory of Hollow Fiber Membrane Materials and Processes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300160, People’s Republic of China

    Jianxin Li

  4. Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, 2127, Australia

    Andrzej Listowski

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  1. Tien Thanh Nguyen
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  2. Huu Hao Ngo
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  3. Wenshan Guo
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  4. Jianxin Li
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  5. Andrzej Listowski
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Correspondence to Huu Hao Ngo.

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Nguyen, T.T., Ngo, H.H., Guo, W. et al. Effects of Sludge Concentrations and Different Sponge Configurations on the Performance of a Sponge-Submerged Membrane Bioreactor. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 167, 1678–1687 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-012-9579-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-012-9579-x

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