AEROBIC DEGRADATION OF A NON-IONIC
SURFACTANT IN A MEMBRANE
BIOREACTOR(MBR)

Choi, In Su; Wiesmann, Udo

doi:2007.12.2.81

Environmental Engineering Research 2007;12(2): 81-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4491/eer.2007.12.2.081

AEROBIC DEGRADATION OF A NON-IONIC SURFACTANT IN A MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR(MBR)

¹University of Seoul, Department of Environmental Engineering 90 Jeonnong-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul 130-743, Korea
²Technical University Berlin, Faculty 3, Department of Environmental Engineering, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623, Berlin, Germany

Corresponding Author: In Su Choi ,Tel: +82-2-2210-5647, Fax: +82-2-2244-2245, Email: cischoi@hotmail.com

Received: November 7, 2006; Accepted: May 7, 2007.

ABSTRACT

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) was used to investigate the aerobic degradation of foam active substance – non-ionic surfactant, APG 2000 UP. The surface aeration using the propeller loop reactor (PLR) guaranteed sufficient O2 for substrate removal and bacteria growth and avoided foam development. Moreover, the cross-flow membrane filtration enabled the separation of the bacteria still loaded with surfactant in the collecting container. The biological degradation of the surfactant with varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) and influent concentration cS0 showed high substrate removal of nearly 95 % at high volumetric loading rates up to 7.4 kgCOD m-3d-1 and at sludge loading rates up to 1.8 kgCOD (kgVSS d)-1 for biomass concentration cB ≈ constant. The increasing cB from 3.4 to 14.5 gL-1 TSS respectively sludge retention time (SRT) from 5.1 to 442 d under complete biomass retention by the membrane filtration resulted in high removal of substrate α > 90 % with reducing excess sludge production.

Keywords: Aerobic degradation | Surfactant | MBR | Propeller loop reactor | Membrane filtration