Treatment of Molasses Wastewater in a Membrane Bioreactor: Influence of Membrane Pore Size

Separation and Purification Technology (2010)
doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2010.12.005
Muhammad R. Bilad, Priscilla Declerck, Anna Piasecka, Louise Vanysacker, Xinxin Yan and Ivo F.J. Vankelecom

Abstract

Due to high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and its low biodegradability, molasses wastewater is usually classified as a high-strength industrial wastewater. The possibility and efficiency of a membrane bioreactor (MBR), containing lab-made membrane modules, in treating molasses containing wastewater was studied. The research was conducted in two phases, namely a first period of fed-batch operation followed by a second with continuous MBR operation. The results showed that more than 80, 90 and 30% respectively of the COD, total nitrogen (TN) and color were removed. There was a clear influence of the membrane pore size on trans-membrane pressure (TMP) build-up. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) analyses revealed no significant differences in organic constituents between the membrane cake layer and the activated sludge.

Keywords: membrane bioreactor, molasses wastewater, membrane fouling, phase inversion