Sub-critical fouling in a membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment: experimental investigation and mathematical modelling

Fouling is a major limitation for the application of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) in municipal wastewater treatment; the critical flux concept represents a valid tool for process optimisation in planning fouling control strategies. The paper presents the results obtained on a large pilot MBR equipped with a plate-and-frame ultrafiltration membrane. The experimental assessment of flux criticality was carried out by flux-stepping tests showing the positive impact of liquid temperature on the value of the critical threshold. The reliability of short-term tests was then verified over a long period by determining the time of sustainability, t(sust), of six different sub-critical fluxes ranging between 17 and 30Lm(-2)h(-1). An exponential fitting was observed in terms of fouling rate both before and after t(sust), though fouling after t(sust) is likely to be ascribed not only to cake formation. Finally, a new mathematical formulation was proposed according to the local flux approach to model the sub-critical TMP transients. The model involves both bound and free forms of EPS and, once experimentally calibrated, it provided a fair prediction of the TMP jump.