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Membrane Water Treatment
  Volume 8, Number 6, November 2017 , pages 517-528
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/mwt.2017.8.6.517
 


Performance evaluation of membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with activated carbon on tannery wastewater treatment
Abolghasem Alighardashi, Mahyar Pakan, Shervin Jamshidi and Farshid Pajoum Shariati

 
Abstract
    This study evaluates the performance of membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with a modified walnut shell granular activated carbon (WSGAC) for tannery wastewater treatment. For this purpose, a pilot with overall volume of 80L and 12 hours hydraulic retention time (HRT) is operated in three scenarios. Here, the chemical oxidation demand (COD) of wastewater is reduced more than 98% in both C:N ratios of 13 (S1) and 6.5 (S2). This performance also remains intact when alkalinity depletes and pH reduces below 6 (S3). The ammonium removal ranges between 99% (S2) and 70% (S3). The reliability of system in different operating conditions is due to high solids retention time and larger flocs formation in MBR. The average breakthrough periods of WSGAC are determined between 15 minutes (S2) and 25 minutes (S1). In this period, the overall nitrate removal of MBR-WSGAC exceeds 95%. It is also realized that adding no chemicals for alkalinity stabilization and consequently pH reduction of MBR effluent (S3) can slightly lengthen the breakthrough from 15 to 20 minutes. Consequently, MBR can successfully remove the organic content of tannery wastewater even in adverse operational conditions and provide proper influent for WSGAC.
 
Key Words
    membrane bioreactor (MBR); granular activated carbon (GAC); Walnut shell; tannery wastewater treatment; nitrification
 
Address
Abolghasem Alighardashi and Mahyar Pakan : Department of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University,
Shahid Abbasspour Blvd., Tehranpars, P.O. Box: 167651719, Tehran, Iran
Shervin Jamshidi : Water and Wastewater Research Center, Water Research Institute (WRI), Shahid Abbasspour Blvd., Tehranpars, P.O. Box: 16765313, Tehran, Iran
Farshid Pajoum Shariati : Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Simon Bulivar Blvd.,
P.O. Box: 14515775, Tehran, Iran
 

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