CHARACTERIZATION OF MEMBRANE BIOFOULING IN NANOFILTRATION PROCESS OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Table of content

    

Objective Introduction Methodology Result and discussion Conclusion and perspective

Objective
 Identify and characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the membrane biofouling layer on nanofiltration (NF) process of wastewater treatment

Introduction
 Biofouling process involves adhesion and growth of microorganisms on the membrane surface, thus it damages the membrane  Biofouling is hard to control  Biofilm formation involves accumulation of microorganisms at a phase transition interface (solid-liquid, gas-liquid, or liquid-liquid)
 Bacteria accumulate on membrane by 2 processes: attachment (adhesion,adsorption) and growth (multiplication)

 Biofouling is hard to control

Methodology

 Experimental setup  Operational conditions  Bacterial community composition analysis  Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectra

Experimental setup
 NF membrane biofouling was synthesized by mimicking secondary effluents and prefiltered secondary effluents.
NF SYSTEM (polyamide tubular membrane, filtration area of 120 cm2)

DISMOUNTING

SEGMENTING (10 slices) and ANALYZING (SEM, DGGE)

DILUTION and FTIR spectroscopy

Operational conditions

 Test different flow and pressure conditions (constant temperature = 25oC)to set the system operation point for biofouling experiments  Biofouling experiments utilized synthetic effluents as well as real secondary effluents for characterization of the biofouling layer

Bacterial community composition analysis

 DNA extraction and PCR (Polemerase Chain Reaction)  DGGE analysis  Cloning of PCR products and sequencing  Phylogenetic analysis  Enumeration and microscopy

Fourier transformed infrared spectra

 Measurement of membrane

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

1. NF biofouling by glucose based synthetic effluents and a model bacterium

- Initial Flavobacterium concentration = 105 CFU/ml

RESULT AND DISCUSSION (cont)

2. NF biofouling of a starch-based synthetic effluents and a model bacterium

RESULT AND DISCUSSION (cont)

3. NF experiments with MF-prefiltered secondary effluents

RESULT AND DISCUSSION (cont)

4. Identification of bacterial population and characterization of biofouling layer

RESULT AND DISCUSSION (cont)

5. FTIR spectra of NF experiments

CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVE

 Both glucose (approx. 80% rejection) and starch (approx. 90%) interacted similarly with the system in spite of the significant difference in their molecular weight  Biofouling appears to be the predominant form of fouling and the size and composition of biofilm population seem to be convergent.  Biofouling layer over the membrane reduced flux and improved brine rejection.

CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVE (cont)

 FTIR analysis of membranes applied to synthetic effluent dis- played an accumulation of polysaccharide, amide and aliphatic structures in the middle segment of the membrane (in a tubular con- figuration). This is possibly reflected by an enhanced biofilm development in the middle segments of the NF membrane.  FTIR analysis of membranes applied to synthetic effluent dis- played an accumulation of polysaccharide, amide and aliphatic structures in the middle segment of the membrane (in a tubular con- figuration). This is possibly reflected by an enhanced biofilm development in the middle segments of the NF membrane.