The development of a biofilm membrane bioreactor Original Research Article

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are commonly understood as the combination of membrane filtration and biological treatment using activated sludge. Development of a biofilm-MBR has been investigated combining a moving-bed-biofilm reactor with a submerged membrane biomass separation reactor. Treatment efficiencies were found to be high with the production of a consistent high-quality effluent, irrespective of loading rates on the bioreactor or membrane reactor operating modes. Membrane performance (fouling) is a function of the biofilm reactor effluent quality and varies with loading rates (HRT). Sustainable operation was found to correlate to the fate of the submicron particle size fraction throughout the treatment process.