Title
Treatment of greywater with shredded-tire biofilters and membrane bioreactors
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
7-21-2011
Abstract
Global water shortage has driven the development of technologies in both water savings and water reuse. In this study, an innovative technological combination of biofilters packed with shredded tires and membrane bioreactors was investigated to reclaim greywater. Biofilm distribution was monitored. Membrane fouling mechanisms were studied in terms of extracellular polymeric substances and biomass accumulation on membranes with time, as well as identification of inorganic foulants at the molecular level with the aid of Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the biofilters removed up to 64.6 of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, and hydraulic retention time had an impact on the performance of biofilters. The effluents from the membrane bioreactors met the guidelines for domestic wastewater reuse suggested by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The combination was thus proved to be feasible for greywater reclamation. The colorimetric method to measure extracellular polymeric substances indicated that protein might contribute to membrane fouling, and the Raman spectroscope detected gypsum (CaSO42H2O) on fouled membranes, which was likely to be the inorganic foulant. © 2011 ASCE.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011: Bearing Knowledge for Sustainability - Proceedings of the 2011 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
First Page
1877
Last Page
1887
Recommended Citation
Hu, M., Zhang, T., Stansbury, J., Dahab, M., Shi, J., Neal, J., Alahmad, M., Berryman, C., Li, H., Schwer, A., & Shen, Z. (2011). Treatment of greywater with shredded-tire biofilters and membrane bioreactors. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011: Bearing Knowledge for Sustainability - Proceedings of the 2011 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, 1877-1887. https://doi.org/10.1061/41173(414)195