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.