Municipal Wastewater Treatment Using a Hollow Fiber Membrane Bioreactor

A bioreactor equipped with hollow fiber microfiltration membranes was applied for wastewater treatment. Removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) was investigated. The experimental setup consisted of influent and effluent tanks, and membrane modules using Polyvinyl Di–Fluoride (PVDF) hollow fibers. The operation program included suction and backwash steps which were lasted three and one minutes, respectively. The performance of MBR was monitored for a period of 120 days. The average removal for COD and BOD5 was over 99.5% and 88.9%, respectively. Results indicated that the MBR system can be applied to treat high–strength wastewaters. Also, it may have sustainable performance during the quantity fluctuations of influent wastewater.