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High-rate processes have been investigated for the recovery of organic matter from municipal wastewater. High-rate membrane bioreactors (HR-MBRs) may simultaneously achieve the increased recovery of carbon and high effluent quality, although control of membrane fouling is extremely difficult. To address the severe fouling in HR-MBRs, the combination of granular scouring and frequent chemically enhanced backwashing was examined. The use of robust flat-sheet ceramic membranes enabled the application of those cleaning strategies. Experiments were carried out at an existing wastewater treatment plant. To operate as a high-rate system, the bioreactor solid residence time and hydraulic residence time were set at 0.5 days and 1.6 h, respectively. Although a relatively high flux of 20 L m(-2) h(-1) was applied, the proposed HR-MBR exhibited a very low fouling rate of 1.3 kPa/day. The system could recover >70% of the carbon from raw wastewater, whereas the concentration of chemical oxygen demand in the effluent was lowered to <20 mg/L. The performance of the proposed HR-MBR observed in this study was clearly superior to those reported in previous related studies.

The recovery of phosphorus (P) from waste activated sludge (WAS) is a promising approach for sustainable resource management. During the anaerobic digestion of WAS, orthophosphate is released, and this P species is favorable for adsorption recovery. In the present study, an anerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) with a P-adsorption column was developed to generate biogas from WAS and to recover P from membrane permeate simultaneously. The effects of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and solid retention time (SRT) of the AnMBR on P solubilization were investigated. As a result, the maximum P solubilization was 21% when the HRT and SRT were 45 days and 100 days, respectively. Orthophosphate in the membrane permeate was adsorbed and recovered using a mesoporous material called zirconium sulfate-surfactant micelle mesostructure (ZS) in the column. The adsorbed P could be desorbed from the ZS with a NaOH solution, and P was recovered as a concentrated solution by a factor of 25. When the HRT was 19 days, the biogas yield and biogas production rate were 0.26 L/g-VSinput and 0.123 L/L/d, respectively. The average methane content in the biogas was 80%. The developed membrane-based process may be effective for resource recovery from WAS.

Biological in-situ biogas upgrading is a promising approach for sustainable energy-powered technologies. This method increases the CH4 content in biogas via hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis with an external H-2 supply. In this study, an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) was employed for in-situ biogas upgrading. The AnMBR was operated in semi-batch mode using waste activated sludge as the substrate. Pulsed H-2 addition into the reactor and biogas recirculation effectively increased the CH4 content in the biogas. The addition of 4 equivalents of H-2 relative to CO2 did not lead to appreciable biogas upgrading, although the acetate concentration increased significantly. When 11 equivalents of H-2 were introduced, the biogas was successfully upgraded, and the CH4 content increased to 92%. The CH4 yield and CH4 production rate were 0.31 L/g-VSinput and 0.086 L/L/d, respectively. In this phase of the process, H-2 addition increased the acetate concentration and the pH because of CO2 depletion. Compared with a continuously-stirred tank reactor, the AnMBR system attained higher CH4 content, even without the addition of H-2. The longer solid retention time (100 d) in the AnMBR led to greater degradation of volatile solids. Severe membrane fouling was not observed, and the transmembrane pressure remained stable under 10 kPa for 117 d of continuous filtration without cleaning of the membrane. The AnMBR could be a promising reactor configuration to achieve in-situ biogas upgrading during sludge digestion.