DESALINATION

ELSEWIER Desalination 149 (2002) 179-l 83

www.elsevier.com/locate/desal

Treatment of high strength industrial wastewater using extended

aeration-immersed microfiltration (EAM) process

Megat Johari Megat Mohd Noor”*, Hiroshi Nagaokab, Hidenori Ayab

“Department of Civil Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Malaysia
Tel. ~503 89466381; Fax +603 86567099; email: megatj@eng.upm.edu.my
“Department of Civil Engineering, Mushashi Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan

Received 8 February 2002; accepted 20 March 2002

Abstract

Fully submerged laboratory scale hollow fiber microfiltration module was used to treat a food industry wastewater
in Malaysia. Permeate extraction was carried out continuously under a suction pressure not exceeding 0.9 bar. The
module is aerated from beneath the microfiltration module to provide the crossflow effect and the oxygen requirement
for the biological process. Active sludge from activated sludge plant at the factory was used in the start-up with a
food/microorganisms (F/M) ratio of about 0.6, which later reduced further with time to 0.13 subject to the increase
in the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and the permeate extraction rate. Primary effluent with chemical
oxygen demand (COD) ranged between 1500 and 3000 mg/l was used in the study. MLSS of over 5500 mg/l were
reached after nearly three month of filtration run. Permeate COD and turbidity reduction of over 97% and 99%
respectively, were achieved. Dark streaks that formed on the inner side of the membrane surface are responsible for
the declining permeate turbidity in the second month of operation since the membrane nominal size remains relatively
unchanged.

Keywords: Microfiltration; Extended aeration; Industrial wastewater; Treatment process; Submerged membrane;
Immersed membrane

1. Introduction was used for separation of activated sludge from

Combination of biological wastewater treat-
ment with membranes were first reported by
Smith et al. [I] where ultrafiltration membrane
*Corresponding author.
the final effluent with the biomass being recycled
back to the aeration tank. Integration between
membranes and biological processes or commonly
known as membrane bioreactors are now getting
greater attention where loss of biological solids

Presented at the International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes (ICOM), Toulouse, France,
July 7-12, 2002.

0011-9 164/02/$- See front matter 0 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
PII:SOO11-9164(02)00753-l
180 M. J. Megat Mohd Noor et al. / Desalination 149 (2002) 179-l 83
is prevented [2]. This process results in the solids
retention time (SRT) being independent of hydraulic
retention (HRT). Such a system would enable a
low F/M ratio to be maintained and waste-specific
microorganisms be retained [3,4]. High strength
wastewater could be treated by membrane bio-
reactors and the sludge production is rather
minima1 [5].
Mueller et al. [6] in a study to control microbe
attachment identified that the elimination of
stagnant flow is the first step to reduce microbial
growth, while continuous or periodic operation
and continuous biocide dosage would also be
necessary. Placing the aeration facility beneath
the membranes and applying higher rate of
aeration creates the turbulence and the crossflow
effect needed to reduce deposition and biological
fouling. Low-pressure suction would also prevent
membrane from fouling as the low flux is usually
below a critical flux, above which fouling is
inevitable [7]. Cicek et al. [S] in a study using
synthetic wastewater with municipal wastewater
characteristics sufficiently purified the wastewater
to qualify for indirect recharge of groundwater or
for non-potable uses with the exception of nitrate
concentration. Microfiltration is known to reduce
turbidity and some colloidal suspensions from a
feed stream. Typically PTFE membranes are used
in food and dairy operations to concentrate the
process liquor [9]. Membrane material is important
in ensuring the success of separation. Hydro-
phobic membrane material although can withstand
high temperature however has the disadvantage
in that the flux is likely to decline during operation
due to solute adsorption and pore blocking.
Hydrophilic materials are low fouling and
therefore useful for separation that does not
require high temperature. In an external mem-
brane bioreactor the increase in the feed concen-
tration would increase the fouling resistance [lo]
but in an immersed membrane bioreactor the
increase in the MLSS should determine the
fouling resistance. There are four major categories
of membrane foulants: dissolved solids, suspended
solids, biological organisms and nonbiological
organics. Depending on the chemical and physical
composition of the foulants, they tend to form
distinct layers on the membrane surface. This
determines the order of cleaning: biological growth
and colloidal silt, metals and scales, silica and
barium sulphate and the like [ 111.Sodium hydroxide
(4%) and 1000 mg/l of chloride solution have been
used in cleaning the membrane used at a pilot plant
in treating plumprocessing wastewater [ 121.
Membrane applications in Malaysia mostly in
the industrial sector, such as in microelectronics,
power plants, petroleum and petrochemical, food
and beverages, and steel plants. Although there
have been numerous commercial or pilot applica-
tions of immersed membrane in treating various
wastewater streams, operating parameters, waste-
water characteristics, and the type of membrane
modules and materials differ in many of the
applications. This study provides the additional
information as to the behavior of the immersed
membrane in treating a particular food industry
wastewater in Malaysia.
2. Materials and methods
Table 1 shows the characteristics of the raw
wastewaters and the activated sludge used in the
study. The feed stream utilized in the study had,
however, previously undergone the preliminary
stages of treatment, thus giving lower characteristic
values as compared to the raw wastewater.
Fig. 1 shows the system layout, which includes
the extended aeration-immersed microfiltration
(EAM) unit. Peristaltic pump (Master-flex mode1
7553-U) with a pump head (model number 7015-
20) and Tygon tubing (internal diameter 4.8 mm
and external diameter 8 mm) were used to extract
the permeate.
A feeder tank equipped with a stirrer is used
to feed the reaction tank, where the hollow fiber
modules are immersed. The stirrer has an operating
cycle of 3 h, with 2 h mixing and 1 h idling.
Aquadine 12000 aerator together with aeration
blocks, giving bubble sizes ranging between 3 and
10 mm, are provided for the aeration process.
 M. J. Megat Mohd Noor et al. /Desalination 149 (2002) 179-l 83 181

Table 1 extraction rate. Extraction of permeate is done

Characteristics of raw wastewater and activated sludge continuously, and subsequently allow for continuous
mixed liquor feed. The effective volume of the reaction tank is
Activated sludge
4 1.
Parameter Raw
wastewater mixed liquor
DO, mgil 0.8-0.85 1.18-1.80 3. Results and discussion
PH 3.5-4.2 7.2-7.5
COD, mgil 30104870 Fig. 2 shows the three months flux under a
Turbidity, NTU 750-970 2010-2030 MLSS of over 5500 mg/l at the end of the operating
period, from the initial MLSS of 2500 mg/l. Flux
of above 6 l/m*/h was achieved at a stable suction
pressure of 0.8 bar. Clearly the operating suction
pressure of 0.8 bar was reached almost imme-
diately, which is considered as close to the limit
(0.9 bar) allowed when operating an immersed
membrane [ 121. Interestingly there was no need
for cleaning of the membrane within the three
months operation when referring to the flux,
which indicates a stable condition of deposition
and dislodgement of particles on the membrane.
However, this does not indicate that there was no
Fig. 1. The schematic diagram of the system layout. biological growth on the membrane. Fig. 3 shows
the spliced section of an unused strand of the
membrane observed under a scanning electron
Three hollow fiber polyethylene membrane microscope (SEM). Dark spots and streaks were
modules [ 131 with a total internal surface area of noticed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 on the inner
0.014 m2 were used in the study. Table 2 gives surface of the membrane although the external
the dimensions of the hollow fiber membrane. surface exhibited no change except for the
Clean water fluxes using distilled water were widening of the pore size. The permeate turbidity
obtained prior to conducting the experiment with
was less than 3 NTU throughout the operation
the industrial wastewater. Active sludge from
although there was a steady increase in the
activated sludge plant at the factory was used in
permeate turbidity after the second month of
the start-up with a food/microorganisms (F/M)
operation, to 8 NTU. This can be attributed to the
ratio of about 0.6 which later reduced with time
dislodgement of growth on the inner surface of
subject to the increasing MLSS and the permeate
the membrane, as the membrane pore size (0.1 to
0.9 microns) was not significant enough to allow
Table 2 for such increase. Cleaning of the membrane
Dimensions of hollow fiber membrane from SEM module was carried out at the end of the third
photomicrographs month of operation by soaking the modules for a
day in 4% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and
Hollow fibre Dimension rinsed thereafter. The effluent turbidity was
Outer diameter, mm 0.37 noticed to reduce from the 8 NTU before
Inner diameter, mm 0.25 implementing cleaning of the membrane back to
Inner surface pore size, pm 0.3-l .o
below 3 NTU. Thus confirmed that the increase
Outer surface pore size, pm 0.1-0.9
in the permeate turbidity was the result of
182 M.J. Megat Mohd Noor et al. /Desalination
Flux and suction pressure vs. time
10 1
IZ 8 0.8
Ng 6 0.6
‘;;’ 4 0.4
2 2 -Effluent flux
0.2
0 0
0 1020304050607080
Time (days)
Fig. 2. Effluent flux under continuous operation of nearly
three months without membrane cleaning.
Fig. 4. Photomicrograph of spliced membrane strand(inner
side) after three months of operation showing dark streaks
formation on the surface (x150 magnification).
detachment of biological growth on the inner
surface of the membrane.
The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration
inside the unit was about 4 mg/l throughout the
operation, which means only a small fraction of
increase in the DO concentration from the feed
stream (3.1-3.7 mg/l). This indicates that the
aeration was not rigorous enough to reduce the
deposition and cause dislodgement of the particles
on the membrane within the unit. This is con-
firmed by the relatively poorer flux produced and
higher suction pressure required. The effluent
turbidity was less than 3 NTU throughout the
operation although there was an increase of the
149 (2002) 179-183
g
2
2
4
Fig. 3. Photomicmgraphof splicedunusedmembrane strand
(inner side) (x150 magnification).
Fig. 5. Photomicrograph of the close up view of the dark
streaks formation (x3000 magnification).
effluent turbidity after the second month of
operation, to 8 NTU. This can be attributed to the
dislodgement of growth on the inner surface of
the membrane, as the membrane pore size increase
was not significant enough to allow a break-
through.
The influent COD dropped progressively from
3000 to nearly 1500 mg/l throughout the three
month of operation. After 3 d of operation the
effluent COD was between 35 and 45 mg/l, way
below the Malaysian Environmental Quality Act
1974 requirement for discharge. Towards the end
of the three month operation period a reduction
of over 97% of the COD was achieved by the
 M.J. Megat Mohd Noor et al. /Desalination
+ Feed COD --+- Permeate COD
z 2500
A
& 2000
6 1500
g 1000
500
0 23 I-240.
Fig. 6. Feed and permeate COD with time.
unit with a yield coefficient, Y equals 0.03 kg SS/
kg COD removed, well below the range of
conventional activated sludge process of between
0.3 to 0.5 kg SS/kg COD removed. The F/M ratio
was reduced to about 0. I3 for the unit after 30 d
with HRT of nearly 2 d (Fig. 6).
4. Conclusion
The EAM process was able to reduce the feed
turbidity and COD by over 99 and 97%, res-
pectively. A three month operation without
instituting cleaning of the membrane resulted in
the increase in the permeate turbidity during part
of the second month of operation, attributed to
the growth on the inner surface of the membrane.
MLSS of 5500 mg/l was achieved at the end of
the three months operation period, without having
any sludge wastage. Cleaning with 4% NaOH was
adequate to return the permeate quality back to
below 3 NTU.
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