Biodegradation performance and biofouling control of a halophilic biocarriers-MBR in saline pharmaceutical (ampicillin-containing) wastewater treatment. (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Hanyong; Zhou, Wenhu; Zhan, Xuehui; Chi, Zhenxing; Li, Weiguo; He, Binsheng; Tan, Songwen
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 263(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Membrane bioreactor -- Biofouling -- Marine miroorganisms -- Saline organic wastewater -- Ampicillin; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127949
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: This work develops a halophilic biocarriers-MBR for saline pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. The system has effectively treated the ampicillin-containing saline wastewater for 32 days, when the ampicillin concentration is lower than 20 mg/L. The system can tolerate the saline organic wastewater with a reasonable biodegradability (removals of COD over 75%) when the ampicillin concentration is 50 mg/L. The system has a bad performance in biodegradation (COD removals around 60–70%) and fouled within 16 days at a high ampicillin concentration of 100 mg/L. At high transmembrane pressures over 30 KPa, some ampicillin molecules may permeate through the membrane causing decreases in the ampicillin removal. The concentrations of protein and carbohydrate in EPS and SMP have increased over time and with increasing the ampicillin concentration. The method of biofouling control in MBR for the ampicillin situations has been proposed based on monitoring the concentrations of EPS and SMP. The drying-assisted monitoring of membrane biofoulants has showed a better efficiency than the monitoring of transmembrane pressure for membrane anti-biofouling in the treatment of pharmaceutical saline wastewaters where a spectroscopic detection can be hardly applied. This work may benefit relative research works for the control of biodegradation performance and membrane biofouling to better treat saline pharmaceutical wastewaters. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: The ampicillin-containing wastewaters were treated in a halophilic biocarriers-MBR. An acclimation process was observed at a ampicillin concentration of 20 mg/L. The system could tolerate an ampicillin concentration no more than 50 mg/L. The ratio of protein over carbohydrate in EPS and SMP varied from 1 to 3. A drying-assisted monitoring of biofoulants was proposed for membrane antifouling.