The present study describes the development of a new type of aerated membrane bioreactor referred to as a biologically activated membrane bioreactor (BAMBi) for on-site treatment of high-strength wastewater. The treated wastewater is reused for flushing and personal hygiene. BAMBi is an adaptation of a gravity-driven membrane reactor, originally developed for the purpose of treating river water to drinking water quality. Initially, a series of reactor configurations were tested and it was found that the simplest possible configuration could treat the wastewater to an acceptable standard, provided that a polishing step for color removal and disinfection was introduced. A commercial electrolysis unit was utilized for polishing. The energy consumption of BAMBi is 0.8 kWh/m3 of water treated, which can be considered low for an on-site membrane bio reactor application.
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Research Article|
June 11 2015
An energy-efficient membrane bioreactor for on-site treatment and recovery of wastewater
Rahel Künzle;
Rahel Künzle
1Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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Wouter Pronk;
Wouter Pronk
1Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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Eberhard Morgenroth;
Eberhard Morgenroth
1Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
2ETH Zurich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Tove A. Larsen
1Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
E-mail: [email protected]
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Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development (2015) 5 (3): 448–455.
Article history
Received:
June 27 2014
Accepted:
April 30 2015
Citation
Rahel Künzle, Wouter Pronk, Eberhard Morgenroth, Tove A. Larsen; An energy-efficient membrane bioreactor for on-site treatment and recovery of wastewater. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development 1 September 2015; 5 (3): 448–455. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2015.116
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