Use of membrane bioreactor for medical wastewater treatment

Dissertant

Jasim, Yasir Ibrahim

Thesis advisor

Abbas, Talib R.
al-Hashimi, Muhammad Ali Ibrahim

University

University of Technology

Faculty

-

Department

Department of Building and Construction Engineering

University Country

Iraq

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2013

English Abstract

Iraqi rivers are currently experiencing high levels of nutrients, due to effluent discharge from existing wastewater treatment plants, that may promote eutrophication and impair overall water quality.

This situation needs more stringent regulations for the quality of treated wastewater.

Wastewater plants need to improve alternative technologies beyond conventional activated sludge (CAS) processes.

Membrane bioreactors (MBR) have become a well developed technology and an alternative for CAS processes since it has been proven in efficient treatment of wastewater.

In this study, a lab scale MBR system was studied to treat a hospital wastewater to remove organic mattar as well as nitrogen and phosphorus.

The system includes an aerobic bioreactor with a submerged flat sheet membrane that has a nominal pore size of 0.08 سإ and a filtration area of 0.80 m^, and an anoxic/anaerobic sequencing bioreactor.

The mixed liquor was recycled from the aerobic bioreactor to the anoxic/anaerobic sequencing bioreactor intermittently to alternate the anoxic conditions for denitrification and anaerobic conditions for phosphorus release.

The results reveal excellent removal of pollutants in case of using aerobic MBR system for all measured parameters compared to those of CAS system, especially for TSS and pathogens with removal percent of 100% and 98.33% versus to 75% and 73% for CAS system, respectively.

Three different l^RTs (6, 6.75 and 8.3 hr) were applied to evaluate the removal efficiency in the aerobic MBR in terms of BOD5 and COD.

As l^RT increased ^om 6 to 8.3 hr, BOD5 and COD removal efficiency increased ^om 93.6 to 95.5% and 87 to 89%, respectively.

The increase in flow rate resulted in increase of the flux and caused a rapid membrane fouling.

Thus, the flux of 15 L.m-2.hr-1 was seem to be more suitable compared to the 18.6 or 21 L.m-2.hr-1.

During the operation of aerobic/anoxic (Ar/Ax) MBR (contenious mixed liquor recycle) and sequencing anoxic/anaerobic MBR (SAM) (intermittent mixed liquor recycle) modes, BOD5 and COD removal efficiency was 98.5 and 90 to 92%, respectively.

The SAM system shows excellent phosphorus removal efficiency compared to (Ar/Ax) MBR system (83% vs.

38%), but slightly lower removal efficiency than that of nitrogen (93% vs.

96%).

Despite the difference in phosphorus removal efficiency for SAM system and (Ar/An) MBR system, both of these systems can meet the Iraqi limits for irrigation purpose for all measured parameters.

Main Subjects

Engineering & Technology Sciences (Multidisciplinary)

Topics

• Sanitation
• Waste water
• Chemical reactors

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-418553