Recent advances in attached growth membrane bioreactor systems for wastewater treatment

To tackle membrane fouling and limited removals of pollutants (nutrients and emerging pollutants) that hinder the wide applications of membrane bioreactor (MBR), attached growth MBR (AGMBR) combining MBR and attached growth process has been developed. This review comprehensively presents the up-to-date developments of media used in both aerobic and anaerobic AGMBRs for treating wastewaters containing conventional and emerging pollutants. It also elaborates the properties of different media, characteristics of attached biomass, and their contributions to AGMBR performance. Conventional media, such as biological activated carbon and polymeric carriers, induce formation of aerobic, anoxic and/or anaerobic microenvironment, increase specific surface area or porous space for biomass retention, improve microbial activities, and enrich diverse microorganisms, thereby enhancing pollutants removal. Meanwhile, new media (i.e. biochar, bioaugmented carriers with selected strain/mixed cultures) do not only eliminate conventional pollutants (i.e. high concentration of nitrogen, etc.), but also effectively remove emerging pollutants (i.e. micropollutants, nonylphenol, adsorbable organic halogens, etc.) by forming thick and dense biofilm, creating anoxic/anaerobic microenvironments inside the media, enriching special functional microorganisms and increasing activity of microorganisms. Additionally, media can improve sludge characteristics (i.e. less extracellular polymeric substances and soluble microbial products, larger floc size, better sludge settleability, etc.), alleviating membrane fouling. Future studies need to focus on the development and applications of more new functional media in removing wider spectrum of emerging pollutants and enhancing biogas generation, as well as scale-up of lab-scale AGMBRs to pilot or full-scale AGMBRs.

Automated summary

This review highlights the importance of media used in attached growth MBR (AGMBR) for wastewater treatment, with conventional media enhancing pollutant removal and new media excelling in removing emerging pollutants. Additionally, media improve sludge characteristics and alleviate membrane fouling issues. Future research should focus on developing new functional media for wider spectrum pollutant removal and enhancing biogas generation in AGMBRs at pilot or full-scale levels.