Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation by Aerobic Granulation Membrane Bioreactor (AGMBR)

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The main objective of this research program 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 a highly efficient, cost-effective and low fouling process for the treatment and reclamation of municipal and industrial wastewaters. 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 wastewater treatment processes and depends on the physiological capabilities of aerobic granules to break down the undesired pollutants in wastewater. The unique feature of the process is the cultivation of compact aerobic granular sludge developed from the self-aggregation of microbial cells without biocarriers. Aerobic granules have a number of advantages: a strong and compact structure, excellent settleability, high biomass retention, rapid self-immobilization, high resilience to shock loadings and chemical toxicity, low sludge yield, high organic loading and significant reductions in the reactor volume and space requirements. The 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. Membrane fouling remains a major challenge and is a main reason why application of the activated sludge MBR is not wider used. During filtration of the activated sludge in MBR, fouling decreases the membrane permeability and thus treated water flux, which results in higher operational and maintenance 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 and alleviate fouling of the membrane. The integration of these two technologies provides the benefits of small footprint, cost-effective, high effluent quality, energy saving, high tolerance to toxic chemicals, low sludge yield, low fouling and high sustainability for wastewater treatment and reclamation. As a result, AGMBR is an integrated, sustainable, innovative wastewater and reclamation solution for municipal and industrial applications. 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. The patentable process could potentially be widely applied in the wastewater industry in Canada and markets worldwide.