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Anaerobic ceramic MBR for high COD content food wastewater

treatment: bench and pilot scale study.


L. Cortijo*, E. Meabe**, F. Rogalla***, H. Barndk*, C. Negro*, P. Lpez*, D. Hermosilla*

* Department of Chemical Engineering, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Complutense, s/n.


28040 Madrid, Spain (E-mail: lcortijo@quim.ucm.es)
** Likuid Nanotek. San Sebastian Technology Park, P Mikeletegi, 71 Planta 1, 20009 Donostia-San
Sebastin, Spain (E-mail: emeabe@likuidnanotek.com)
*** Aqualia, C. Camino de Santiago 40. 28050 Madrid, Spain (E-mail: FRogalla@fcc.es)
Abstract: The anaerobic ceramic MBR technology has been tested in two complementary systems: a
semi-industrial plant treating corn-processing wastewater and a laboratory unit treating a synthetic
wastewater simulating the industrial effluent. The industrial effluent presented a high concentration of
solids and it was highly loaded with organic species such as starch, oil and grease. By coupling the
membrane filtration with the digester, the wastewater was successfully treated at both scales, reaching
COD reductions up to 99% and a very good effluent quality. The study has confirmed many of the
advantages attributed to the anaerobic ceramic MBR technology, which combines the advantages of the
anaerobic digestion with the efficiency and robustness of the ceramic filtration.
Keywords: Ceramic membranes; membrane bioreactor; anaerobic digestion; corn-processing
wastewater

Introduction
Membrane filtration is nowadays a consolidated technology for both municipal and
industrial wastewater treatment. The MBR process is becoming an established option
due to its noteworthy advantages over the conventional activated sludge process. By
coupling the membrane to the biological reactor, high effluent quality is produced and
high biomass concentration can be attained so that the footprint of the overall system
is reduced considerably. The Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) is a highly
innovative technology which combines anaerobic digestion and membrane filtration
to provide complete solid-liquid separation. Anaerobic digestion offers widely known
advantages over conventional aerobic processes, since no oxygen is required and
biogas is produced. However, it presents some limitations that have limited its widespread use (lower purification efficiency, poor effluent quality and process
instability). The AnMBR technology allows overcoming these limitations as it
combines the advantages of the anaerobic process and MBR technology in a very
robust and compact solution, characterized by the higher biogas production and the
excellent effluent quality. On the other hand, as granulation of sludge is not required,
complex wastewaters with high solids, oil and grease or dissolved salts concentration
can be treated in conventional CSRT digesters combined with membrane filtration
(Futselaar, 2013; Sutton, 2006). As a result, the AnMBR technology has gained
popularity in recent years, and more attention has been focussed on the development
of this technology for the treatment of high-concentration wastewater, mainly in the
food and beverage industries (Fuchs, 2003; He, 2005). As membrane fouling is a
limiting issue for implementing AnMBRs, highly hydrophilic ceramic membranes
have a good opportunity, since they are reported to be less prone to fouling and to
possess higher chemical and thermal resistance (Skouteris, 2012; Sutton, 2006).

The present work is a simultaneous study of two ceramic AnMBRs: a bench scale
AnMBR working with synthetic wastewater and a semi-industrial plant fed with cornprocessing wastewater. In both cases the objective is to reach the maximum digestion
capacity of the anaerobic liquor, to study the behaviour of the ceramic membranes and
to optimize the filtration process.
Material and Methods
The AnMBRs consist on a CSRT digester coupled to an external ceramic membrane
filtration module equipped with backwash and CIP devices. Both reactors are
operated in mesophilic conditions (35C) and with average MLSS of 20g/L.
The bench scale AnMBR is a 12L digester coupled to a tubular ceramic membrane
with 0.02m2 surface. It is operated with cross flow velocities (CFV) of 2 and 3m/s,
and different backwash sequences. The system is fed with a synthetic wastewater
simulating an effluent from a corn snack factory (Tab.1).
The semi-industrial plant is a 2.5m3 digester coupled to a ceramic ultrafiltration
system consisting of 4 modules with 7 multichannel membranes (6.8m2 total filtering
surface). Filtration is operated with CFV=2m/s and different backwash sequences,
and the digester is fed with wastewater from the corn cooking process (Tab.2).
Table 1 Composition of synthetic high-starch content wastewater
Chemical compound
Concentration (g/L)
Organics
Soluble starch
7.500
Meat peptone
1.000
Yeast extract
0.357
Sodium Acetate3H2O
1.183
Soy Oil
0.430
Macronutrients
NH4Cl
0.291
MgHPO43H2O
0.660
KH2PO4
0.532
FeSO47H2O
0.132
0.477
CaCl22H2O
Micronutrients
CoCl26H2O
0.002
Cr(NO3)39H2O
0.018
CuCl22H2O
0.012
MnSO4H2O
0.002
NiSO46H2O
0.008
PbCl2
0.002
0.005
ZnCl2

Table 2 Characterization of corn


orn-processing wastewater
Parameters
pH
Conductivity
Residue on evaporation (105C)
Residue on ignition (525C)
Total suspended solids (TSS)
Volatile suspended solids (VSS)
CODTotal
CODSoluble
TOC
PO4
-2
SO4
NTotal
+
NH4

Units
mS/cm
g/L
g/L
g/L
g/L
g/L
g/L
g/L
g/mL
g/mL
mg/L
mg/L

Values
4.1
3.17
30.2
2.9
14.5
6.7
35.1
24.4
11.4
11
182
49.6
32.6

Results and Conclusions


In the bench scale AnMBR, the organic load (OLR) was increased gradually
adually from 0.7
-3 -1
to 7.0kgCODm d with a 95-99% elimination of both the COD and TOC, yielding
a high quality permeate with a final COD and TOC in the range of 60-300mg/L
60
and
20-80mg/L,
mg/L, respectively (Fig.1).
(
). Biogas production increased with the OLR and the
average
age methane concentration in the biogas was about 60%, resulting in an average
specific
ific methane production of 0.34m
0.34 3CH4 kgCODremoved-1. Filtration performance
was studied both in the long-term
long
and with flux-step
step tests, concluding that permeate
flux (J) up to 50 LMH could be attained.

Figure 1 Organic matter removal for increasing OLR in the bench scale AnMBR

In the semi-industrial
industrial plant, up to 97% elimination of COD was reached, with an
average
verage COD reduction from 30000mg/L
30000
in the influent to less than 1000mg/L
1000
in the
-3 -1
permeate. OLRs up to 5.0kgCODm
5.0
d were applied. Ceramic filtration worked
-1
satisfactorily, having a permeability over 80Lh
8
m-2bar-1 with permeate flux up to
40LMH and average TMP of 0.4bar.
0.4
Filtration performance
rmance was also studied with
flux-step
step tests, as shown in Fig.2.
Fig.

0.9

45

40

TMP

0.8

40

35

0.7

35

30

0.6

25

0.5

20

0.4

15

0.3

15

10

0.2

10

0.1

J (Lh-1m-2)

40

80
Time (min)

120

160

J (Lh-1m-2)

50

TMP (bar)

45

50

30
25
20

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

TMP (bar)

Figure 2 Results of the flux-step test carried out in the semi-industrial AnMBR plant (CFV=2 m/s)

The experimental study has confirmed the advantages attributed to the ceramic
AnMBR technology:
Total solids retention results in very good effluent quality, free of suspended
solids and bacteria and with low COD.
No need for granular sludge allows treating the corn-processing wastewater
with high suspended solids and O&G content in CSRT digester.
The better effluent quality allows eliminating or reducing the post-treatment.
Higher treatment efficiency increases biogas generation (up to 99% COD
removal, 0.33m3CH4kgCODremoved-1).
Filtration performance is maximized with the highly hydrophilic ceramic
membranes (Flux up to 50LMH).
References
Fuchs, W., Binder, H., Mavrias, G. and Braun, R. (2003). Anaerobic treatment of wastewater with high
organic content using a stirred tank reactor coupled with a membrane filtration unit. Water Research,
37, 902-908.
Futselaar. H., Rosink, R., Smith, G., Koens, L. (2013). The anaerobic MBR for sustainable industrial
wastewater management. Desalination and Water Treatment, 51(4-6), 1070-1078.
He, Y., Xu, P., Chunjie L. and Zhang, B. (2005). High-concentration food wastewater treatment by an
anaerobic membrane bioreactor, Water Research, 39 4110-4118.
Skouteris, G., Hermosilla, D., Lopez, P., Negro, C., Blanco, A. (2012). Anaerobic membrane
bioreactors for wastewater treatment: A review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 198, 138-148.
Sutton, P. M. (2006), Membrane bioreactors for industrial wastewater treatment: applicability and
selection of optimal system configuration, Proceedings WEFTEC 2006.

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