Intensive monitoring of sludge filterability of a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor treating municipal wastewater for better interpretation of fouling

In this study, a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater was operated over 600 d. Intensive monitoring of sludge filterability with high frequency, which is rarely reported in previous studies, performed. Detailed information on obtained study makes the advanced interpretation fouling possible and allows to take effective countermeasures. Two methods (batch filtration measurement capillary suction time (CST)) were used assess filterability, significantly varies during long-term operation. Although these two generated similar data, CST easier than batch-filtration therefore recommended for intensive MBRs. Using data evolution reversible irreversible distinguished. The importance separately assessing impact colloidal matter also demonstrated: caused deterioration filterability. To detect such impacts, frequency assessment should be sufficiently high. A new method (modification measurement) proposed could frequent assessments. Temperature reactor ion balance raw identified as key factors specific fraction polysaccharides (lipopolysaccharides) exhibited significant correlation This can provide important operation maintenance large-scale MBRs wastewater.