Ceramic ultra filtration membrane bioreactor for domestic wastewater treatment

A long term domestic wastewater treatment experiment was conducted using a recirculating ceramic ultra filtration membrane bioreactor (CUFMB) system. Three experiments were run with a hydraulic retention time of 5 h, sludge retention times of 5 d, 15 d, and 30 d and a membrane surface flow rate of 4 m/s. The experiment studied the membrane fouling mechanism and cleaning techniques. The results show that a CUFMB system can provide continuous good quality effluent which is completely acceptable for reuse. The system is also not affected by fluctuations of the inlet flow. The CUFMB sludge loading rate is similar to that of conventional biological treatment units. However, the volumetric loading rate of the CUFMB is 2–4 times that of conventional biological treatment units. Membrane fouling occurs due to channel clogging, which could be easily removed, and surface fouling, which can be effectively removed using the method described in this work which includes water ri nsinq, base cleaning, and acid washing.