Simple and effective corrugation of PVDF membranes for enhanced MBR performance

Membrane fouling control in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) can be achieved by improving membrane properties. In this study, corrugated flat sheet polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) membranes were fabricated, characterized and tested in a lab-scale MBR for improved filterability and fouling resistance. A simple imprinting step was successfully developed and applied as part of the membrane preparation procedure, via phase inversion, to form corrugations on the membrane surface. The corrugation consisted of valleys-and-hills topography, which increased membrane effective surface area (AE) by ~50%. It also increased the membrane mean pore size (PS) as a result of changes in formation mechanism. Both higher AE and larger PS increased membrane permeability to about 5–6 times compared to the non-corrugated membrane, prepared under similar conditions. Surface corrugations reduced membrane fouling propensity as observed from the flux-stepping test and a lab-scale MBR operation, without affecting permeate quality.

[1]  Jiti Zhou,et al.  Factors affecting the membrane performance in submerged membrane bioreactors , 2006 .

[2]  R. Field,et al.  Critical, sustainable and threshold fluxes for membrane filtration with water industry applications. , 2011, Advances in colloid and interface science.

[3]  Hassan A. Arafat,et al.  Effect of dry-out on the fouling of PVDF and PTFE membranes under conditions simulating intermittent seawater membrane distillation (SWMD) , 2013 .

[4]  Claire Albasi,et al.  Aeration and hydrodynamics in submerged membrane bioreactors , 2011 .

[5]  Anja Drews,et al.  Membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors—Characterisation, contradictions, cause and cures , 2010 .

[6]  A. Ismail,et al.  Effect of surface pattern formation on membrane fouling and its control in phase inversion process , 2013 .

[7]  Pierre Le-Clech,et al.  Cleaning and ageing effect of sodium hypochlorite on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane , 2010 .

[8]  Matthias Wessling,et al.  Influence of membrane properties on fouling in submerged membrane bioreactors , 2010 .

[9]  B. Lesjean,et al.  Survey of the European MBR market: trends and perspectives , 2008 .

[10]  Alain Grasmick,et al.  Membrane bioreactor fouling in sub-critical filtration conditions: a local critical flux concept , 2004 .

[11]  Matthias Wessling,et al.  Membrane with integrated spacer , 2010 .

[12]  Micro-patterned interfaces affecting transport through and along membranes , 2008 .

[13]  Pierre Le-Clech,et al.  Membrane bioreactors and their uses in wastewater treatments , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[14]  M. Bilad,et al.  Development and validation of a high-throughput membrane bioreactor (HT-MBR) , 2011 .

[15]  Simon Judd,et al.  The MBR Book: Principles and Applications of Membrane Bioreactors for Water and Wastewater Treatment , 2006 .

[16]  John Pellegrino,et al.  Use of nanoimprinted surface patterns to mitigate colloidal deposition on ultrafiltration membranes , 2013 .

[17]  Simon Judd,et al.  Critical flux determination by the flux-step method in a submerged membrane bioreactor , 2003 .

[18]  Hassan A. Arafat,et al.  Pore structure control of PVDF membranes using a 2-stage coagulation bath phase inversion process for application in membrane distillation (MD) , 2014 .

[19]  Rui Liu,et al.  Hydrodynamic effect on sludge accumulation over membrane surfaces in a submerged membrane bioreactor , 2003 .

[20]  Jaewoo Lee,et al.  Preparation and application of patterned membranes for wastewater treatment. , 2012, Environmental science & technology.

[21]  H. Arafat,et al.  Effect of temperature-dependent microstructure evolution on pore wetting in PTFE membranes under membrane distillation conditions , 2013 .

[22]  Pieter Vandezande,et al.  Solvent resistant nanofiltration: separating on a molecular level. , 2008, Chemical Society reviews.

[23]  Jae-Hoon Choi,et al.  Effect of membrane type and material on performance of a submerged membrane bioreactor. , 2008, Chemosphere.

[24]  M. Bilad,et al.  Treatment of molasses wastewater in a membrane bioreactor: Influence of membrane pore size , 2010 .