Extracellular Polymeric Substances in Fouling Layer

Abstract

Membrane biofouling via microbial products limits the feasibility of utilizing membrane bioreactor (MBR) for treating wastewater. Fouling layer would be built up when activated sludge was filtered with a mixed cellulose ester membrane. This study probed the three‐dimensional distributions of protein, α‐polysaccharide, and β‐polysaccharide in fouling layer using fluorescently labeled lectins and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) as staining agents in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). These extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) distributed heterogeneously in the fouling layer, with α‐polysaccharide being concentrated close to the membrane surface. The flow pattern yielded in the fouling layer determines the filtration resistance of biofouling.     

Inorganic fouling of pressure-driven membrane processes — A critical review

One of the major limitations of the application of membrane processes in water and wastewater treatment is inorganic fouling. Despite the extensive studies on concentration polarization and inorganic scaling in membrane filtration, the fundamental mechanisms and processes involved in inorganic fouling are not fully understood. This paper critically reviews the mechanisms and models of concentration polarization and inorganic fouling in pressure-driven membrane processes. Effects of operating parameters and membrane properties on the formation of inorganic scale at the membrane surface are also evaluated. Future research areas that need to be pursued to alleviate inorganic fouling problems in membrane installations are discussed.     

Membrane autopsy to investigate CaCO3 scale formation in pilot‐scale,submerged membrane bioreactor treating calcium‐rich wastewater

BACKGROUND: Membrane scaling is an area of research interest because it can deteriorate membrane performance. The extent to which membrane scaling is produced varies depending upon the concentration of scale‐forming species such as calcium on the membrane surface. Bench‐scale tests have been conducted to better understand membrane scaling in submerged membrane reactors (MBR). However, relatively few studies of membrane scaling in pilot‐scale, submerged MBR have been reported. The objective of this study was to perform membrane autopsy work to analyze membrane scaling in a submerged MBR treating calcium‐rich wastewater. RESULTS: Membrane autopsy work provided evidence that deposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) scale occurred on the membrane surface at the completion of pilot‐scale, submerged MBR operation. The CaCO₃ scaling resulted in significant external fouling on the surface of the membrane. The membrane scaling increased the rejection of calcium with MF membranes. However, the level of CaCO₃ scaling as internal fouling (in the pores) was almost negligible. This autopsy work also showed that aeration did not play a major role in controlling CaCO₃ scaling at the membrane surface in a submerged MBR. Chemical cleaning using citric acid solution efficiently removed CaCO₃ scale from the membrane. Combining citric acid with sodium hypochlorite pretreatment provided synergistic effects, further reducing CaCO₃ scale formation. CONCLUSION: The carbonate salt of calcium leads to precipitation resulting in surface fouling of membranes, and this cannot be removed physically by aeration in a submerged MBR treating calcium‐rich wastewater. It is necessary to combine properly‐selected cleaning strategies with submerged MBR treating wastewater containing a high potential for inorganic chemical precipitates. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biofouling in Membrane Bioreactor

Abstract

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) combines membrane separation and biological treatment, normally involving the activated sludge process, in municipal wastewater treatment. Despite excellent performance over years of full‐scale operation, the interactions between microbes and the membrane in the MBR process, which determine its design and operational criteria, remain unclear. This report reviewed research regarding how numerous process parameters impact biofouling rates and, in particular, the possible contribution of microbial products to biofouling. This study also characterized different fractions of microbial products and assessed their potential affect on membrane fouling.     

Characteristics of RO foulants in a brackish water desalination plant

This study identified the membrane fouling of a two-stage RO process of the Bai-sha brackish water desalination plant facing serious fouling problems. Two membrane modules, one from each stage, were autopsied and diagnosed for the cause for the failure of the RO system. Different morphologies were exhibited on the fouled membrane. Results suggested that the fouling on the first-stage membrane tended to be organic and biological, while that on the second-stage membrane appeared to be scaling. Higher than 85% of the foulants on the first stage membrane were organic substances in opposed to the 5 to 8% of those on the second stage membrane. However, the total organic matter on the second stage membrane was more than that on the first stage one. The thick layer of scalants on the surface of the second-stage membrane was identified to be calcium carbonate of which the crystal was clearly seen in the SEM images. The scaling was thickest at the outlet of the membrane. Huge amount of microbes were found on both membranes. The FTIR results also suggested the existence of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) on the first stage membrane. This study recommended that the recovery rate, pH and the potential for bio-fouling should be defined at the real operation.     

海水纳滤预处理的优化研究

纳滤已被广泛研究用于反渗透和膜蒸馏海水淡化的预处理,它能有效避免反渗透膜和膜蒸馏装置的结垢污染,但纳滤膜同样存在结垢污染问题。通过配制人工海水及人工脱硬海水等海水体系研究了硬度离子对纳滤膜无机污染的影响,并通过接触角、SEM、EDX等表征方法研究了膜面污染物的主要成分及其对膜性能的影响。结果表明,钙离子是造成纳滤膜无机污染的主要硬度离子,脱硬或脱钙处理能有效避免海水淡化过程中纳滤预处理阶段的无机结垢问题。     

Characteristics of soluble microbial products and extracellular polymeric substances in the membrane bioreactor for water reuse

In biological treatment processes, the effluent contains some portion of organic material originating from soluble microbial products (SMP) that is closely related with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), although the biological activity is maximized. These SMP should be considered important target materials if additional processes are necessary to satisfy the required water quality for the intended reuse. In this study, the characteristic of SMP and EPS were investigated using a submerged membrane bioreactor, which is one of the most promising water reuse process. Most protein SMP in the reactor existed at a molecular weight (MW) above 10 kDa. Over 86% of the carbohydrate SMP contained in the permeate had a MW below 1 kDa. The protein and carbohydrate SMP in the permeate account for 83–91% of the COD. The MW of the protein and carbohydrate SMP in the reactor, when converted to COD showed a bimodal pattern (less than 1 kDa or greater than 10 kDa), but over 81% of those in the permeate existed below 1 kDa due to the membrane rejection. The relative hydrophobicity of the protein and carbohydrate SMP was affected by the influent characteristics, and the hydrophobicity was decreased after the membrane filtration. The total EPS concentrations increased with increases in the food to microorganism ratio in this study. The modified fouling index (MFI) was used to investigate the biofouling characteristics, in terms of soluble and suspended solid parts closely related with the SMP and EPS, respectively.     

Membrane filtration characteristics in membrane-coupled activated sludge system - the effect of physiological states of activated sludge on membrane fouling

The effect of sludge physiology on membrane fouling was investigated in a membrane-coupled activated sludge (MCAS) system. A series of ultrafiltrations were performed to assess the flux behaviors according to foaming potential, solids retention time (SRT), growth phase and nutrient condition of the activated sludge. The foaming sludge showed greater flux decline than the non-foaming sludge. The extraordinary increase, that is, more than 100 times in membrane fouling for the foaming sludge, was attributed to the hydrophobic and waxy nature of the foaming sludge surface, which was confirmed by a comparison with relative hydrophobicity. Membrane fouling tendency was increased as SRT decreased. A greater flux decline was observed at the endogenous phase than at the log growth phase. The activated sludge acclimated to the nitrogen deficient substrates produced less extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and exhibited higher flux than the control activated sludge. The quantitative measurements of EPS content in order to estimate the extent of membrane fouling in various activated sludges showed that, in any physiological states of activated sludge, the higher the content of EPS the activated sludge had, the greater the membrane fouling proceeded. The EPS content of activated sludge is suggested as a probable index for the membrane fouling in a MCAS system.     

A comparison of silver‐ and copper‐charged polypropylene feed spacers for biofouling control

Implementation of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) processes in treating traditional water sources can provide a steady‐state level of removal that eliminates the need for regeneration of ion exchange resins or granular activated carbon. Moreover, RO can help meet future potable water demands through desalination of seawater and brackish waters. The productivity of membrane filtration is severely lowered by fouling, which is caused by the accumulation of foreign substances on the surface and/or within pores of membranes. Microbial fouling, or biofouling, is the growth of microorganisms on the membrane surface and on the feed spacer as present between the envelopes. The fouling of membranes has demanded and continues to demand considerable attention from industry and research communities. Many of these applications use membranes in a spiral wound configuration that contains a feed spacer. The goal of this project was to develop low‐biofouling polypropylene (PP) spacers through the functionalization of PP by a spacer arm with metal chelating ligands charged with biocidal metal ions, investigate the use of this metal‐charged polypropylene (PP) feed spacers that target biofouling control, and to use some traditional and one novel techniques to autopsy the membranes after filtration to gain a better understanding of the biofouling mechanism and how the modified spacers are affecting it. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Anionic membranes of low permselectivity in pilot plant operation

The behaviour of low permselectivity anionic membranes in pilot plant operation was studied by substituting such membranes for the conventional anionic ones used in electrodialysis. The product flow rate or electrical current is limited in electrodialysis because of scaling and fouling problems associated with the anionic membrane. Higher electrical currents and flow rates were achieved with the new anionic membranes (Neginst-P.E.N. developed in our laboratories) without the associated effects of fouling and scaling. While these anionic membranes require more electrical power per unit of desalinized water than electrodialysis, the additional electrical costs are more than offset by operation at higher current densities.     

Surface characterization and performance evaluation of commercial fouling resistant low-pressure RO membranes

This paper describes the characterization and evaluation of various RO/NF membranes for the treatment of seasonally brackish surface water with high organic contents (TOC ≈21 mg/L). Twenty commercially available RO and NF membranes were initially evaluated by performing controlled bench-scale flat-sheet tests and surface characterization. Based on the results, four low pressure RO membranes were selected for use in the pilot study. The surface characterization revealed that each of four selected membranes had unique surface characteristics to minimize membrane fouling. Specifically, the LFC1 membrane featured a neutral or low negative surface to minimize electrostatic interactions with charged foulants. The X20 showed a highly negatively charged surface, and thus, was expected to perform well with feed waters containing negatively charged organics and colloids. The BW30FR1 exhibited a relatively neutral and hydrophilic surface, which could be beneficial for lessening organic and/or biofouling. The SG membrane had a smooth surface that made it quite resistant to fouling, particularly for colloidal deposition. In the large-scale pilot study using single element, all of the four membranes experienced a gradual increase in specific flux over time, indicating no fouling occurred during the pilot study. The deterioration of permeate water quality such as TDS was also observed over time, suggesting that the integrity of the membranes might be compromised by the monochloramine used for biofouling control.     

臭氧-活性炭技术对膜生物反应器膜污染减缓研究

本研究目的是探讨臭氧-活性炭技术对膜生物反应器（membrane bioreactor,MBR）膜污染减缓的影响。通过短期批式实验表明,粉末活性炭（power activated carbon,PAC）可强化臭氧的氧化效果,臭氧投加量超过0.25mg/(gSS)将恶化污泥混合液可滤性;对滤出液残余臭氧浓度检测表明,PAC的加入有利于维持本体溶液臭氧浓度。臭氧-活性炭技术引入MBR系统有助于膜污染的减缓,反应器内微生物活性受到一定的抑制作用,但对MBR出水水质影响较小;臭氧-活性炭减小了反应器内溶解性微生物产物（soluble microbial products,SMP）中的蛋白质及多聚糖含量,显著降低了污泥絮体中松散的胞外聚合物（loosely bound EPS,LB）及胞外聚合物（extracellular polymeric substances,EPS）中蛋白质浓度,以上结果表明应用臭氧-活性炭技术来延缓MBR膜污染是可行的。     

Extraction and analysis of extracellular polymeric substances in membrane fouling in submerged MBR

The extraction and analysis of EPS in active biomass and membrane fouling were performed to investigate the influence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on membrane fouling of MBR. The new membrane and fouling membrane surface morphology was characterized by EDX analysis. The results show that membrane contaminant is mainly composed of organic compounds. EPS in active biomass and membrane pollutant were extracted by method of alkaline regular centrifugation. Most of EPS were found to have high molecular weight over 12,000 D, which is very difficult to degrade. The total EPS contents in the extracted solution and the contents of polysaccharide protein and DNA in EPS were respectively analysed with TOC analysis and by phenol-sulfuric acid method, modification of the Bradford method and the fluorometric method. The analytical results indicate that the content of EPS in membrane fouling is about four times as much as that in active biomass, and polysaccharide is the most important pollutant on membrane, as well as protein’s role in membrane fouling is not negligible, whereas the DNA is not important in membrane fouling because of its content (non-dialysis) in membrane contaminant being less than that in the active biomass. In addition, the results in electrophoresis experiment provide the information about the concentrated distribution of molecular weight of large fragment DNA in both membrane contaminant and the biomass.     

A review on the forward osmosis applications and fouling control strategies for wastewater treatment

During the last decades, the utilization of osmotic pressure-driven forward osmosis technology for wastewater treatment has drawn great interest, due to its high separation efficiency, low membrane fouling propensity, high water recovery and relatively low energy consumption. This review paper summarizes the implementation of forward osmosis technology for various wastewater treatment including municipal sewage, landfill leachate, oil/gas exploitation wastewater, textile wastewater, mine wastewater, and radioactive wastewater. However, membrane fouling is still a critical issue, which affects water flux stability, membrane life and operating cost. Different membrane fouling types and corresponding fouling mechanisms, including organic fouling, inorganic fouling, biofouling and combined fouling are therefore further discussed. The fouling control strategies including feed pre-treatment, operation condition optimization, membrane selection and modification, membrane cleaning and tailoring the chemistry of draw solution are also reviewed comprehensively. At the end of paper, some recommendations are proposed.     

Flux-Dependent Fouling Phenomena in Membrane Bioreactors under Different Food to Microorganisms (F/M) Ratios

This paper investigated the effect of food to microorganisms (F/M) ratios in the MBRs on membrane fouling propensities at fluxes of 10, 20, and 30 L/m² hr (LMH). The high F/M-MBR had different biomass properties, more soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and faster fouling rate compared to the low F/M-MBR. However, the fouling mechanisms at the three fluxes were dissimilar. At a low flux, the microbial flocs dominant cake layers facilitated catching the soluble EPS to increase resistance. At a high flux, the great accumulation of soluble EPS (especially soluble polysaccharides) to form gel-like cake layers predominantly induced membrane fouling. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Separation Science and Technology to view the free supplemental file.     

工业废水电渗析过程中膜污染研究进展

综述了工业废水电渗析体系膜污染类型、性质、影响因素等的研究进展. 无机污染主要是Ca2+, Mg2+或其他高价离子在离子膜表面或内部形成的结垢现象,原理是极化或溶液过饱和形成沉淀. 有机污染是由蛋白、腐植酸、表面活性剂及大分子有机物在离子膜表面沉积或渗透到膜内部而形成,原因主要是带负电荷的有机物与阴膜荷正电基团的静电作用及带苯环有机物与基膜的亲和作用,其次是有机物分子大小与膜的网络结构的作用. 膜污染形成及其性质与施加电流、共存组分、温度、pH值和运行时间等密切相关,可造成离子膜导电性、离子交换容量、水含量和极限电流密度等减小,且有机污染对电渗析性能的影响比无机污染更严重. 由有机物凝胶层形成的膜污染可用电渗析膜污染指数定量描述.     

微生物代谢产物对膜生物反应器膜污染的影响

针对膜生物反应器（MBR）在运行过程中溶解性微生物代谢产物（SMP）及胞外聚合物（EPS）对膜污染进行研究。实验过程中对MBR内的污泥混合液进行了定期膜阻力监测。结果表明,SMP和EPS对膜过滤阻力有负面的影响。SMP中相对分子质量分布（Mw）在3～10 kDa对膜内部阻力影响显著,SMP中Mw＞10 kDa的大分子有机物及EPS浓度对膜外部阻力影响明显。通过傅里叶转换红外光谱（FTIR）检测膜表面污染物表明,EPS主要由多聚糖、蛋白质和腐殖酸组成,而污染层中的SMP主要是多聚糖和腐殖酸。     

几种不同基材动态膜生物反应器污泥层性质分析

在动态膜生物反应器（DMBR）中,膜污染的有效控制至关重要。选用4种膜基材料：聚酯无纺布、聚丙烯无纺布、聚酯筛网、聚酰胺筛网,考察膜基材料受污染程度,分析膜面污染物成分。结果表明：应用DMBR处理模拟生活污水,4种材料易受污染的程度依次为聚酰胺筛网、聚酯筛网、聚丙烯无纺布、聚酯无纺布,筛网比无纺布更易发生不可逆污染。膜面物质不可逆污染层中的胞外聚合物含量对膜污染有重要作用,其中蛋白质、多糖均与膜污染相关,蛋白质较多糖与膜污染具有更密切关系。     

膜生物反应器中膜污染影响因素的研究进展

文章综述了膜生物反应器(MBR)运行过程中膜污染影响因素的研究现状和进展。膜污染会导致膜通量下降、系统运行成本增加等问题,是限制MBR进一步发展的瓶颈。从膜元件固有性质、膜分离操作条件以及活性污泥混合液性状等3个方面,分析了影响膜污染发展的主要因素,论述了各因素与膜污染的具体关系。各因素之间互相作用,直接或间接影响膜污染,其中膜材质、膜孔径、膜通量、曝气量、污泥组分、粒径分布(PSD)、胞外聚合物(EPS)、溶解性微生物产物(SMP)等为重要影响因素。     

Initial fouling of nontoxic coatings in fresh,brackish, and sea water

Objectives of this project were to evaluate benefits — over the short term — that might derive from control of the surface properties of materials used in energy transfer devices; and to identify preferred ranges of surface parameters that might be specified to minimize deposits of biological fouling known to deteriorate energy exchange efficiencies in seawater, brackish water, and freshwater systems. By modifying the surface chemistry and surface energy of test plates with very thin coatings (nontoxic) and examining the acquired films at various time intervals, the earliest events of biofouling caused by macromolecules and microbial organisms were defined. Overall, the results were remarkably similar for all systems tested in showing that deliberate modification of the initial material surface qualities can significantly reduce the retention of biofouling layers.