Total nitrogen removal in membrane sequencing batch bioreactor treating domestic wastewater

• Main Author: Belli, Tiago José
• Publication Date: 2014
• Other Authors: Coral, Lucila Adriani, Recio, Maria Angeles Lobo, Vidal, Carlos Magno de Sousa, Lapolli, Flávio Rubens
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Acta scientiarum. Technology (Online)
• DOI: 10.4025/actascitechnol.v36i2.17326
• Download full: http://www.periodicos.uem.br/ojs/index.php/ActaSciTechnol/article/view/17326
• topic: nitrification-denitrification; wastewater treatment; membrane bioreactor; Engenharia Sanitária

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a sequencing batch membrane bioreactor (SBMBR) in wastewater treatment for total nitrogen removal. The reactor, which was built on a pilot scale with a volume of 30 L, was operated for 154 days and fed with synthetic wastewater. The SBMBR was operated under a sequencing batch regime with a total cycle time of 4 hours, which was broken down into 5 min. at the feeding stage, 55 min. of an anoxic phase and 180 min. of aeration and filtration. The permeation flux used was 5.55 L m-2 h-1. The membrane bioreactor presented very efficient biological wastewater treatment, with COD, ammoniacal nitrogen and total nitrogen removal efficiency of 99, 98 and 96%, respectively. The high total nitrogen removal observed indicates that the SBMBR was able to promote effective nitrification and denitrification, with a concentration below 10 mg L-1 of this parameter in the permeate.