Development of a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor simulator: a useful tool for teaching its functioning

• A computer simulator of a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor was developed.
• The implemented model integrates biological degradation and separation by membranes.
• The simulator performance was described showing its advantages for teaching.
• The simulator use in teaching was presented through a simulated laboratory.
• The simulated laboratory was successfully accepted by the students.

Among the technologies used to treat wastewater, the Submerged Membrane Bioreactor (SMBR) has excellent prospects because of the possibility it provides for water reuse. In this work, an SMBR computer simulator is developed. A mathematical model was implemented, which integrated the biological degradation process using activated sludges with the physical separation process using membranes. The simulator functioning was validated with experimental results and its use in teaching was evaluated through the development of a simulated laboratory running for three and a half hours. This gave access to trends and orders of magnitude that would take more than fifteen months to obtain with real experiments. It was successfully used and accepted by the students.