Review
Engineering, Environmental
Recep Kaya, Mustafa Evren Ersahin, Hale Ozgun, Borte Kose-Mutlu, Mehmet Emin Pasaoglu, Ismail Koyuncu
Summary: Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology is considered a promising method for advanced wastewater treatment due to its high-quality effluent. However, fouling caused by intensive activated sludge used in submerged MBR systems is a major issue. To overcome this problem, researchers have explored the use of vibratory processes in MBRs. This review aims to gather current efforts in fouling control by vibratory motion, specifically in submerged activated sludge membrane bioreactors, and presents a comparative analysis of different vibration types and their experimental results.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Necati Kayaalp
Summary: Hydrogen-based autotrophic denitrification is a promising choice for nitrate removal due to its low sludge production and clean source. This study investigated the anoxic treatment of drainage waters using hydrogen gas in a venturi-integrated submerged membrane bioreactor configuration. The study found that the use of a venturi device did not significantly affect the treatment efficiency, and a removal efficiency of over 90% was achieved.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chuansheng Wang, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, Meiyue Ding, How Yong Ng
Summary: This study operated two parallel MBRs with vibrating or air-sparging membrane modules for long-term real domestic wastewater treatment. The results showed that the vibrating MBR achieved lower fouling rates compared to the air-sparging MBR, and reduced colloid and soluble microbial products in the cake layer, alleviating reversible and irreversible fouling.
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Yan Zhao, Yangbo Qiu, Natalie Mamrol, Longfei Ren, Xin Li, Jiahui Shao, Xing Yang, Bart van der Bruggen
Summary: Hospital wastewater contains harmful substances that require effective treatment. Membrane technology is utilized for molecular separation, with MBR technology demonstrating high removal efficiency. The development of hybrid MBR and integrated MBR-membrane systems can improve wastewater treatment efficiency and material recovery.
FRONTIERS OF CHEMICAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Agata Egea-Corbacho, Ana Pilar Martin-Garcia, Ana Amelia Franco, Jose Maria Quiroga, Rune Rojgaard Andreasen, Mads Koustrup Jorgensen, Morten Lykkegaard Christensen
Summary: Microplastics are a major threat to the environment and aquatic life, and one of the main sources of microplastics in water and land environments is wastewater treatment plants. This study aimed to investigate the presence and removal of microplastics in wastewater and sludge from different types of treatment plants. The results showed high removal efficiency in the treatment process, with a decrease in microplastic concentration from influent to effluent. The most common forms of microplastics detected were fragments and fibers, and several types of polymers were identified.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hossam Awad, Mahmoud El-Mewafi, Mohamed Shaaban Negm, Mohamed Gar Alalm
Summary: A novel reactor design was developed for efficient denitrification of domestic wastewater without external carbon source. The optimal operating parameters were determined using response surface methodology, and the addition of biomass support media improved denitrification. The aerobic-anoxic system demonstrated high stability against changes in hydraulic retention time and COD/N ratio. Microbial analysis revealed the presence of dominant denitrifying bacteria in the anoxic zone.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Nutkritta Udomkittayachai, Wenchao Xue, Kang Xiao, Chettiyappan Visvanathan, Allan Sriratana Tabucanon
Summary: The study introduced a novel EcMB-MBR technology for simultaneous removal of organics and nutrients from wastewater. It showed improved removal efficiency for COD, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, as well as a reduction in membrane resistance.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Prangya Ranjan Rout, Muhammad Kashif Shahid, Rajesh Roshan Dash, Puspendu Bhunia, Dezhao Liu, Sunita Varjani, Tian C. Zhang, Rao Y. Surampalli
Summary: The article emphasizes the importance of nutrient removal and recovery, discussing the advantages and limitations of various conventional and advanced treatment technologies, proposing an integrated approach for simultaneous removal and recovery of nutrients, and highlighting bottlenecks and potential solutions in the implementation of nutrient removal technologies.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ling Luo, Wenwang Zhou, Ye Yuan, Hui Zhong, Changming Zhong
Summary: The study found that using SND-MBR technology can effectively reduce the inhibitory effect of salinity on denitrification and nitrification in treating tungsten smelting wastewater, thus improving treatment efficiency.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mona Mohammed, Deborah L. Sills
Summary: Anaerobic resource recovery provides a sustainable solution for communities without wastewater treatment. However, the oxidation of dissolved methane may have environmental impacts that undermine the treatment benefits. This study compares three treatment systems and finds that the ABR + RBC system can significantly reduce climate change impacts, but at higher costs.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-WATER RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Kaichong Wang, Zhen Zhou, Siqi Yu, Jiaxin Qiang, Yao Yuan, Yangjie Qin, Kaiqi Xiao, Xiaodan Zhao, Zhichao Wu
Summary: CAIRM combines chemically enhanced primary treatment, ammonium ion exchange, and regeneration, as well as membrane bioreactor, to efficiently treat domestic wastewater. It achieved efficient removal of pollutants, with TN concentration of 2.3±0.9 mg/L in the effluent. This integrated process addresses critical challenges of insufficient nitrogen removal and high land occupancy of current processes.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Suda Ittisupornrat, Suthida Theepharaksapan, Nattawut Krasaesueb, Athit Phetrak
Summary: This study investigates the performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in treating saline-contaminated municipal wastewater. The results show that the MBR system exhibits high removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium-N within a certain range of salinity concentrations. The analysis of bacterial composition suggests that specific bacteria play important roles in the biodegradation process. Therefore, the MBR system can be an effective solution for treating municipal wastewater occasionally contaminated with seawater.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wenxiu Zhang, Xiaoyi Xu, Guanghui Zhang, Shengjiang Jin, Lihua Dong, Ping Gu
Summary: An integrated membrane bioreactor (MBR) was used to treat wastewater from a thermal power plant, achieving a high removal rate of organic pollutants and meeting the discharge standards. Membrane fouling was mainly caused by the cake layer and concentration polarization. Membrane flux could be recovered through specific cleaning methods.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Huang, Tongyang Meng, Gaige Liu, Shanshan Gao, Jiayu Tian
Summary: A membrane bioreactor was constructed to simultaneously achieve nitrification and denitrification. The effect of dissolved oxygen on the process and nitrogen pathways was investigated. Higher dissolved oxygen concentrations resulted in higher total nitrogen removal efficiency, with nitrite mainly removed through denitrification. Nitrate reductase and nitrite oxidoreductase were the main enzymes involved in nitrogen conversion.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Prangya Ranjan Rout, Rajesh Roshan Dash, Puspendu Bhunia, Eunseok Lee, Jaeho Bae
Summary: The research found that the integrated bioreactor slightly outperforms the single unit bioreactor in removing NH4+-N, NO3--N, and PO43--P, and has higher microbial activity. Both bioreactors successfully resisted organic and hydraulic shock loading conditions, showing promising application prospects.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qian Li, Haifeng Jia, Hongkai Guo, Yunyun Zhao, Guohua Zhou, Fang Yee Lim, Huiling Guo, Teck Heng Neo, Say Leong Ong, Jiangyong Hu
Summary: The performance of a modified bioretention facility in removing road runoff pollutants and the variations in physicochemical properties and microbial diversity were evaluated in this study. The results showed that the modified bioretention facility had lower effluent concentrations and better removal efficiencies, as well as a richer microbial community.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhiyang Lyu, Chuansheng Wang, Shuai Guo, Weijie Poh, Qilin Gu, Lei Zhang, John Wang, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, How Yong Ng
Summary: Surface patterning on filtration membranes provides benefits of increasing effective filtration area and enhancing back diffusion of foulants. This study investigates the relationship between pattern sizes and foulant particle sizes, and finds that the performance of ceramic membranes with different topographies varies in fouling alleviation. The best design for fouling alleviation is a combination of h = 120 μm and s = 500 μm.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Zhu, Hong You, How Yong Ng, Zhipeng Li, Binghan Xie, Hongying Chen, Yi Ding, Haili Tan, Feng Liu, Chunpeng Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the impacts of bio-carriers on membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for high saline mariculture wastewater treatment. The results showed that bio-carriers effectively improved the characteristics of cake layer, reduced the adhesion of proteins and humic acid-like materials on membrane surface, and shifted the precise composition of cake layers.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Harsha S. Fowdar, Teck Heng Neo, Say Leong Ong, Jiangyong Hu, David T. McCarthy
Summary: Nature-based solutions or Green infrastructure (GI) are increasingly popular for managing stormwater pollution globally. The MUSIC model, an important tool for planning these systems, was evaluated for its performance in a tropical climate. The model was able to reasonably simulate outflows and pollutant concentrations, but had some limitations in simulating hydrographs and pollutographs under different inflow and drying/wetting conditions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Chin Ho Kirk, Qilin Gu, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, Swee Ching Tan, How Yong Ng, John Wang
Summary: This paper introduces a new ceramic membrane preparation process called melding, which combines vacuum infiltration and pore tuning techniques to construct the ceramic membrane layer directly within the porous ceramic substrate, with high permeance and pollutant removal efficiency.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Qilin Gu, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, Weijie Poh, Chin Ho Kirk, Zhiyang Lyu, Lei Zhang, John Wang, How Yong Ng
Summary: The rational design of ceramic membrane cross-sectional microstructure has been shown to improve membrane filtration efficacy without affecting rejection performance. Gradient membrane layers generated through 3D spray-coating technique showed higher pure water flux and lower membrane resistance, with better filtration performance in aerobic membrane bioreactors.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chuansheng Wang, Meiyue Ding, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, How Yong Ng
Summary: This study successfully developed a novel vibrating AnMBR (VAnMBR) and compared its performance with the conventional biogas-sparging AnMBR (BSAnMBR) in terms of organics removal, fouling control, and energy recovery. The VAnMBR achieved better organics removal and lower fouling rates, leading to significant energy savings and increased biogas recovery compared to the BSAnMBR.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Qingxian Su, Shujuan Huang, Hui Zhang, Zongsu Wei, How Yong Ng
Summary: This study investigated the abiotic transformations of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by intermediates produced during biological nitrogen removal processes, including hydroxylamine (NH2OH), nitrite (NO2-), and nitric oxide (NO). The results showed that while NH2OH was not directly able to transform SMX, NO2- and NO could chemically transform SMX through various reactions. The study also determined the rate constants of SMX with NO2- and NO under different pH and oxygen conditions. The findings enhance our understanding of antibiotic fate during biological nitrogen removal and emphasize the role of reactive nitrogen species in antibiotic degradation.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. W. Goh, Y. Xiong, W. Wu, Z. Huang, S. L. Ong, J. Y. Hu
Summary: In this study, a MIL-101(Cr)@TiO2 composite was synthesized to overcome the drawbacks of TiO2 and achieve efficient degradation of CBZ. The composite exhibited delayed recombination of photo-generated h(+) and e(-), reduced band gap energy, and showed excellent degradation performance under UV-A irradiation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Boyan Xu, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, Shujuan Huang, Meibo He, Kibaek Lee, How Yong Ng
Summary: This study identified lipid-related membrane fouling in anaerobic membrane bioreactors and revealed the significant role of lipids in fouling formation.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Weilong Song, Dong Xu, Xuan Yang, Jian Li, Pin Zhao, Xinhua Wang, How Yong Ng
Summary: Zwitterionic surface engineering was employed to improve the antifouling ability of hollow-fiber membranes. A flow-through coating method using zwitterionic organosilica material was used to introduce zwitterions onto the membrane, which was then incorporated into a membrane bioreactor (MBR) to demonstrate enhanced fouling control. The zwitterion-coated membrane showed superior fouling resistance in the MBR, with improved critical flux, extended fouling cycle, and higher resistance to key foulants such as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial polymer (SMP). The interfacial free energy analysis revealed that zwitterions altered the interfacial interaction between the membrane and the fouling substances, leading to elevated energy barrier for foulants attachment.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chuansheng Wang, Sumire Nakakoji, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, Peilin Zhu, Ryohei Tsukada, Masahiro Tatara, How Yong Ng
Summary: This study implemented a stepwise acclimatization strategy to optimize the methanogen populations, thus enhancing waste-to-energy efficiencies in food waste treatment at high organic loading rates (OLR). The findings provided valuable mechanistic and technical insights for future sustainable high-strength waste management, and revealed the influence of the strategy on microbial diversity and abundance.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Boyan Xu, Xiaohui Lu, Yuyao Fu, Liyue Diao, Heng Liang, Sungwoo Bae, How Yong Ng, Jun Ma
Summary: Marine harmful algae bloom (HAB) poses a threat to desalination plants worldwide. This study proposes a new pretreatment technology using ferrous iron/peroxymonosulfate (Fe2+/PMS) for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) under HAB. Fe2+/PMS achieved improved flocculation and removal of algal cells, turbidity, and algal organics matters (AOMs). The seawater matrix enhanced the generation of high-valent iron (FeO2+), leading to improved coagulation efficiency. Fe2+/PMS also resulted in reduced membrane fouling and lower operational cost compared to conventional coagulation techniques. This technology shows promise for high-performance and low-cost pretreatment for seawater desalination plants under HAB conditions.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Han Zhang, Weijia Gong, Ying Xue, Weichen Zeng, Langming Bai, Guibai Li, Heng Liang, How Yong Ng
Summary: Simulated-sunlight assisted MABR (L-MABR) can enhance the removal efficiency of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and reduce the production of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Photolysis dominates the SMX removal in L-MABR, with the help of ultraviolet (UV) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to accelerate the degradation process of SMX.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chuansheng Wang, Tze Chiang Albert Ng, How Yong Ng
Summary: This study proposed an optimized hybrid vibrating ceramic MBR with a settling zone to achieve long-term high-flux operation for domestic wastewater treatment. The introduction of the settling zone enhanced nitrogen removal efficiency and reduced membrane fouling, while also lowering biomass and EPS concentrations to mitigate fouling. This energy-efficient VCMBR has the potential to advance high-flux MBR technology for future decentralized wastewater treatment.
