| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 632265 | Journal of Membrane Science | 2016 | 9 Pages |
•Validation at pilot scale of new shear-enhanced membrane configuration.•Noticeable improvement of net flux for filtration of anaerobic suspensions.•Fouling mitigation and effective membrane cleaning during filtration of concentrated suspensions.•Comparison of novel and conventional operation modes at pilot scale.
A new rotating hollow-fibre module has been designed in order to reduce membrane fouling in submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactors. Filtration performance under different permeate flux conditions was evaluated on a short-term pilot-scale basis. Results were compared with those obtained with a conventional gas-sparging module operating at similar specific energy demand. The experimental assessment of critical flux showed a 17–20% improvement with the membrane rotation. This technique not only reduced the fouling rate but also removed the fouling cake previously formed at the membrane. In sub-critical flux conditions, module rotation substantially extended cleaning-free filtration. It also permitted stable operation at a moderate supra-critical flux (16 L/h m2), enhancing backwashing efficiency and providing high net permeate fluxes (11.7–12.3 L/h m2).
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