Advanced treatment of dyeing wastewater towards reuse by the combined Fenton oxidation and membrane bioreactor process

The performance of combined Fenton oxidation and membrane bioreactor (MBR) process for the advanced treatment of an effluent from an integrated dyeing wastewater treatment plant was evaluated. The experimental results revealed that under the optimum Fenton oxidation conditions (initial pH 5, H2O2 dosage 17 mmol/L, and Fe2+ 1.7 mmol/L) the average total organic carbon (TOC) and color removal ratios were 39.3% and 69.5% after 35 min of reaction, respectively. Results from Zahn-Wallens Test also represented that Fenton process was effective to enhance the biodegradability of the test wastewater. As for the further purification of MBR process, TOC removal capacity was examined at different hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 10, 18 and 25 hr. Under the optimum HRT of 18 hr, the average TOC concentration and color of the final MBR effluent were 16.8 mg/L and 2 dilution time, respectively. The sludge yield coefficient was 0.13 g MLSS/g TOC and TOC degradation rate was 0.078 kg TOC/(m3·day). The final effluent of MBR can meet the reuse criteria of urban recycling water - water quality standard for miscellaneous water consumption GBT18920-2002.