Yeit Haan Teow

Hybrid Processes: Membrane Bioreactor

Abstract The membrane bioreactor (MBR) has become an established hybrid or integrated membrane process for various applications, especially for industrial and municipal wastewater treatments. Recent advances in membrane technology and system design for MBRs have resulted in wide usage of MBRs. Various types of materials have been used for producing membranes that have been used successfully in MBRs. These membranes were produced using various fabrication techniques including nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS), and melt spinning cold stretching (MSCS), track-etched, and electrospinning. The major characteristics of the membranes that are important are related to the pore size and porosity, surface roughness, hydrophilicity, and surface charge. Various methods have been used to characterize these properties. Within the system itself, the design and optimization of the biological and membrane processes are very important to ensure that the system is operational and cost-effective. Due to these advances, MBRs have found applications in many sectors including those for municipal wastewater, leachate treatment, dye and textile, petrochemical, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical. This chapter discusses all the above issues in more detail.