Development of a novel anoxic/oxic fed-batch membrane bioreactor (AFMBR) based on gravity-driven and partial aeration modes: A pilot scale study.

A novel pilot gravity-driven anoxic/oxic fed-batch membrane bioreactor (AFMBR) was developed to treat real domestic wastewater. In this process, the anoxic and oxic stages created favorable conditions for stable and continuous nitritation-denitritation/denitrification-nitrification links without adding external carbon source. Excellent removals of organic carbon/nitrogen (NH4+-N: 71-97%, COD: 78-96%, UV254: 70-95%, TN: 20-60%) and spontaneous permeability recovery were achieved simultaneously. It was assessed at micro levels by characterizing sludge particle morphologies, microbiota functional evolutions, fouling layer properties and energy consumptions. It was demonstrated that the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) was cultivated successfully. Notable differences of microbial diversity were observed in different regions of AFMBR. The SEM and AFM spectra suggested the loose cake layers can shed automatically due to low pressure and continue flushing. The energy consumption in AFMBR was around 0.042 kWh/m3, far lower than that of conventional MBR. Overall, the AFMBR has a potential on improvement of domestic wastewater treatment.