Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security (IPASA), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Faculty of School of Chemical & Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Aug;30(40):91636-91648. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-28975-y. Epub 2023 Jul 31.
A conventional activated sludge (CAS) system has traditionally been used for secondary treatment in wastewater treatment plants. Due to the high cost of aeration and the problem of sludge treatment, researchers are developing alternatives to the CAS system. A membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a technology with higher solid-liquid separation efficiency. However, the use of MBR is limited due to inevitable membrane fouling and high energy consumption. Membrane fouling requires frequent cleaning, and MBR components must be replaced, which reduces membrane lifetime and operating costs. To overcome the limitations of the MBR system, a microbial fuel cell-membrane bioreactor (MFC-MBR) coupling system has attracted the interest of researchers. The design of the novel bioelectrochemical membrane reactor (BEMR) can effectively couple microbial degradation in the microbial electrochemical system (MES) and generate a microelectric field to reduce and alleviate membrane fouling in the MBR system. In addition, the coupling system combining an MES and an MBR can improve the efficiency of COD and ammonium removal while generating electricity to balance the energy consumption of the system. However, several obstacles must be overcome before the MFC-MBR coupling system can be commercialised. The aim of this study is to provide critical studies of the MBR, MES and MFC-MBR coupling system for wastewater treatment. This paper begins with a critical discussion of the unresolved MBR fouling problem. There are detailed past and current studies of the MES-MBR coupling system with comparison of performances of the system. Finally, the challenges faced in developing the coupling system on a large scale were discussed.
传统的活性污泥（CAS）系统一直被用于污水处理厂的二级处理。由于曝气成本高和污泥处理问题，研究人员正在开发 CAS 系统的替代品。膜生物反应器（MBR）是一种具有更高固液分离效率的技术。然而，由于不可避免的膜污染和高能耗，MBR 的使用受到限制。膜污染需要频繁清洗，MBR 组件必须更换，这降低了膜的寿命和运行成本。为了克服 MBR 系统的局限性，微生物燃料电池-膜生物反应器（MFC-MBR）耦合系统引起了研究人员的兴趣。新型生物电化学膜反应器（BEMR）的设计可以有效地将微生物电化学系统（MES）中的微生物降解和产生的微电场耦合起来，以减少和缓解 MBR 系统中的膜污染。此外，将 MES 和 MBR 结合的耦合系统可以提高 COD 和氨氮的去除效率，同时发电以平衡系统的能耗。然而，在 MFC-MBR 耦合系统商业化之前，还必须克服几个障碍。本研究的目的是对 MBR、MES 和 MFC-MBR 耦合系统进行污水处理的关键研究。本文首先对未解决的 MBR 污染问题进行了批判性的讨论。详细讨论了过去和现在的 MES-MBR 耦合系统的研究，并对系统的性能进行了比较。最后，讨论了在大规模开发耦合系统时面临的挑战。
