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Effect of Powdered Activated Carbon on the Performance of an Aerobic Membarane Bioreactor: Comparison between Cross‐Flow and Submerged Membrane Systems
Author(s) -
Kim JaeSeok,
Lee ChungHak
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143003x141105
Subject(s) - microfiltration , extracellular polymeric substance , activated sludge , powdered activated carbon treatment , chemistry , membrane bioreactor , membrane fouling , membrane , bioreactor , chromatography , filtration (mathematics) , membrane permeability , adsorption , chemical engineering , activated carbon , wastewater , environmental engineering , fouling , biochemistry , bacteria , statistics , mathematics , organic chemistry , biofilm , biology , engineering , genetics
The effects of powdered activated carbon (PAC) on the performance of an aerobic membrane bioreactor were investigated under two different filtration modes: cross‐flow and submerged filtration. Under a cross‐flow microfiltration mode, floe breakage resulting from sludge recirculation caused a rapid decrease in the microbial floe size and the release of colloidal and soluble components including extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The released components caused rapid loss of membrane permeability by the formation of a dense cake layer on the surface of the membrane. Biological activated carbon (BAC) sludge formed by the addition of PAC released lower amounts of fine colloids and EPS. Although the pattern of floe breakage of the BAC sludge by pumping shear was similar to that of conventional activated sludge, PAC in the BAC microbial floe adsorbed or entrapped some microfloe components into the floe and reduced permeability loss by approximately 35% compared with conventional activated sludge. Under a submerged microfiltration mode, the effect of PAC addition was more pronounced. For the BAC sludge, the increase in transmembrane pressure was more sluggish and, thus, the operating interval could be extended up to 3 times that for the submerged membrane bioreactor with normal activated sludge.