Anaerobic membrane bioreactors are of growing interest as they produce energy in the form of biogas and can produce a well-treated effluent that is suitable for reuse such as in irrigation.  The recently developed anaerobic fluidized bed membrane bioreactor has been found to reduce the large energy expenditure generally required for control of membrane fouling. Here, fluidized particles of activated carbon serve, not only as a medium for the attachment of anaerobic microorganisms, but also through constant motion next to the membrane, reduces fouling at greatly reduced energy expenditure.  The result is a highly polished and membrane filtered effluent, which with normal disinfection should be able to meet normal standards for reuse.  The biogas energy produced even with dilute wastewaters is likely to be sufficient to operate the treatment system, thus greatly reducing the need for external fossil-fuel derived energy that is generally the case with other membrane systems.

Energy-efficient anaerobic membrane bioreactor for treatment of dilute wastewaters

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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