Strategies to enhance micropollutant removal from wastewater by membrane bioreactors: Recent advances and future perspectives

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 344; no. Pt B; p. 126322
• Main Authors: Liu, Wancen, Song, Xiaoye, Na, Zhang, Li, Guoxue, Luo, Wenhai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Advance oxidation processes; Bioreactors; Ecosystem; High-retention membranes; Membrane bioreactor; Membranes, Artificial; Micropollutants; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Waste Water; Wastewater treatment; Water Purification; Membrane bioreactor; Advance oxidation processes; Micropollutants; High-retention membranes; Wastewater treatment
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126322

•Process optimization and exogenous additives enhance micropollutant removal by MBRs.•High-retention membranes and AOPs complement MBR for effective micropollutant removal.•High-retention MBRs can also be developed to advance micropollutant removal.•Techno-economic evaluation of these strategies is needed for industrial MBR operation. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) has been widely implemented to advance wastewater treatment and reuse. Nevertheless, conventional MBRs with porous microfiltration or ultrafiltration membranes are not designed for the removal of micropollutants, which ubiquitously occur in wastewater at trace concentrations, but potentially exert detrimental impacts to the ecosystem. Several effective strategies have been applied to improve MBR performance for micropollutant removal, particularly the hydrophilic and recalcitrant compounds. These strategies mainly include the optimization of operational conditions, employment of high-retention membranes to replace porous ones, addition of functional materials into bioreactor, and integration of effluent purification processes. In particular, effluent purification by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and high-retention membranes can complement MBR to secure almost complete removal of micropollutants. Nevertheless, further research is still necessary to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of these strategies, especially for long-term treatment performance, to screen the suitable techniques for industrial MBR applications.