Aerobic Granulation Membrane Bioreactor (AGMBR): Novel Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Technology

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The main objective of this project is the development of novel aerobic granulation membrane bioreactor (AGMBR) technology for wastewater treatment and reclamation. The AGMBR system integrates innovative aerobic granulation and membrane filtration technologies to achieve efficient and cost-effective treatment and reclamation of municipal and industrial wastewater. An AGMBR employs aerobic granules to biodegrade water pollutants and membrane filtration to separate the treated effluent from aerobic granules. Aerobic granulation is a recent innovation in biotechnological wastewater treatment processes and depends on the physiological capabilities of aerobic granules to break down the undesired pollutants in water and wastewater. The unique feature of the innovation is the cultivation of compact aerobic granular sludge developed from the self-aggregation of microbial cells in sequencing batch reactors. Aerobic granules have a number of advantages: a strong and compact structure, excellent settling ability, high biomass retention, rapid self-immobilization, high resilience to shock loadings and high endurance to chemical toxicity, as well as low sludge growth yield, high unit capacity of wastewater treatment and significant reductions in the reactor volume and space requirements. The use of an aerobic granulation biotechnological treatment system could result in significant cost savings for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment and provide better protection for the environment. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is another innovation that integrates an activated sludge process with membrane technology for wastewater treatment and reclamation. MBR has many advantages: small footprint, high biomass retention, high effluent quality. However, MBR suffers a major drawback in fouling. During filtration of the activated sludge in MBR, fouling decreases the membrane permeability and thus treated water flux, which results in higher operational costs, higher energy consumption, difficulties in utilization, reduced operational flexibility, and frequent cleaning and replacement of membrane. In the AGMBR system, aerobic granules formation from flocs may prevent pore clogging of the membrane. Aerobic granules can also be used to attach the bacteria to granular surfaces rather than the membrane surface, which will eventually alleviate membrane biofouling. The proposed project will be the first pilot-scale AGMBR worldwide. The novel AGMBR technology will ultimately contribute to Canada’s efforts in environmental protection and sustainable development and can be exploited and deployed in other biological wastewater treatment facilities worldwide.