WERF:Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor for Low Temperature Domestic Wastewater Treatment

1604069 Skerlos可持续的水资源管理对公用事业越来越重要，并推动在不影响出水质量的情况下减少生活污水处理中的能源消耗和残留物产生。与传统的好氧生物处理相比，厌氧生物处理产生甲烷（一种可再生能源），产生一小部分残留物，并提供大量的能源节约。与此同时，膜生物反应器在生活污水处理中越来越受欢迎，因为它们提供了上级出水水质，并在水回用中发挥了重要作用。该提案的目的是从根本上改变反应器的设计，使其能够在低温和低流速下处理生活污水。厌氧膜生物反应器联合收割机结合了厌氧生物处理（能源生产）和膜分离（优良的出水水质）的优点。然而，PI先前的研究表明，传统的厌氧膜生物反应器不适合美国一年中大部分时间的典型温度（例如，低于15摄氏度），主要是由于温室气体净排放。他们的研究还表明，厌氧生物膜系统与膜过滤，即，生物膜强化厌氧膜生物反应器），有可能克服低温限制的厌氧膜生物反应器。该提案雄心勃勃但现实地要求研究和验证第一个生物膜增强厌氧膜生物反应器，以实现高质量的污水，减少温室气体排放和净正能量生产。本研究的科学和工程目标有四个：（1）建立生物膜强化厌氧膜生物反应器在15°C和8 h水力停留时间下的操作参数并表征其性能。(2)减少水力停留时间和温度，并检查硫酸盐对系统性能的影响。(3)了解生物膜强化厌氧膜生物反应器系统中的产甲烷活性机制。(4)进行生命周期成本和生命周期环境评估，以验证技术的经济和环境可持续性。研究目标将为厌氧膜生物反应器研究带来独特的设计视角，结合系统设计的各个方面（例如，水力停留时间、生物膜附着介质、低能膜过滤等），利用微生物分析（例如，高通量DNA和RNA测序、功能基因表达的监测等）和处理性能分析（例如化学需氧量、挥发性脂肪酸、硫酸盐、沼气产量、沼气甲烷含量等）。设计过程将由生命周期环境评估和生命周期成本的结果驱动，这将最大限度地改善环境，同时最大限度地降低成本。基于系统的整体设计方法将最终简化生物膜强化厌氧膜生物反应器技术的应用。这项研究代表了一种新型的厌氧膜生物反应器技术，有可能为温带气候下的生活污水处理带来经济可行的处理技术，同时产生净正能量和净负温室气体排放。这项资助支持的实验室规模的研究成果将直接转移到当地的厌氧膜生物反应器中试工厂，该工厂具有巨大的潜力，可以进一步开发和试点生物膜增强厌氧膜生物反应器技术，包括通过与工业合作伙伴和咨询公司的互动过渡到实践中。这项工作产生的其他更广泛的影响包括：（1）通过本科生参与研究和系统设计/制造，将研究与教育相结合，（2）将研究成果纳入PI教授的课程中，（3）通过与公用事业，公司和顾问的合作进行知识转移，以及（4）通过会议演讲，同行评审的期刊文章，以及研讨会和专题讨论会的介绍。PI还打算与UM Living Building Challenge学生团队合作开发他们的家庭/社区规模的废水处理原型。

1604069SkerlosSustainable water management is increasingly important for utilities and is driving efforts to reduce energy consumption and residuals production in domestic wastewater treatment without compromising effluent quality. Compared with conventional aerobic biological treatment, anaerobic biological treatment produces methane (a renewable energy source), generates a fraction of the residuals and provides substantial energy savings. At the same time, membrane bioreactors have become increasingly popular for domestic wastewater treatment because they provide superior effluent quality and play an important role in water reuse. The objective of this proposal is to fundamentally change reactor designs so that they can treat domestic wastewater at low temperature with low flow rates.Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors combine the benefits of anaerobic biological treatment (energy production) and membrane separation (excellent effluent quality). However, previous research by the PIs has shown that conventional Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors are not suitable for temperatures typically found in the United States during much of the year (e.g., below 15 oC) primarily due to net positive greenhouse gas emissions. Their research has also shown that anaerobic biofilm systems coupled with membrane filtration, i.e., Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors), have the potential to overcome low temperature limitations of Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors. This proposal ambitiously but realistically calls for the first Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors to be researched and validated, achieving high quality effluent, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and net positive energy production. The research proposed here, has four science and engineering objectives: (1) Establish operating parameters and characterize performance of the Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors at 15°C and 8-h hydraulic retention time. (2) Reduce hydraulic retention time and temperature, and, examine sulfate impacts on system performance. (3) Understand mechanisms for methanogenic activity within the Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor system. (4) Conduct Life Cycle Cost and Life Cycle Environmental Assessments to verify the economic and environmental sustainability of the technology. The research objectives will bring a unique design perspective to Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor research that combines aspects of system design (e.g., hydraulic retention time, biofilm attachment media, low energy membrane filtration, etc.), with microbial analyses (e.g., high throughput DNA and RNA sequencing, monitoring of functional gene expression, etc.) and treatment performance analysis (e.g. chemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acid, sulfate, biogas production, biogas methane content, etc.). The design process will be driven by the results of Life Cycle Environmental Assessments and Life Cycle Costs, which will maximize environmental improvements while minimizing cost. The overall systems-based design approach will ultimately ease the transfer of Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors technology into practice. This research represents a novel Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor technology with the potential to bring an economically viable treatment technology to domestic wastewater treatment in temperate climates while producing net positive energy and net negative greenhouse gas emissions. Research results from lab scale efforts supported in this grant will be transferred directly to a local Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor pilot plant with significant potential to lead to further developments and piloting of Biofilm-Enhanced Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor technology, including the transition into practice through interactions with industrial partners and consulting firms. Additional broader impacts from this work include: (1) integration of research and education through involvement of undergraduate students in research and system design/fabrication, (2) incorporation of research findings in courses taught by the PIs, (3) knowledge transfer through partnership with utilities, corporations and consultants, and, (4) dissemination of research results through conference presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, and seminar and symposium presentations. The PIs also intend to work with the UM Living Building Challenge student team on their home/neighborhood-scale wastewater treatment prototypes.