IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v130y2020ics1364032120302276.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Advances in anaerobic membrane bioreactor technology for municipal wastewater treatment: A 2020 updated review

Author

Listed:
  • Vinardell, S.
  • Astals, S.
  • Peces, M.
  • Cardete, M.A.
  • Fernández, I.
  • Mata-Alvarez, J.
  • Dosta, J.

Abstract

The application of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) for mainstream municipal sewage treatment is almost ready for full-scale implementation. However, some challenges still need to be addressed to make AnMBR technically and economically feasible. This article presents an updated review of five challenges that currently hinder the implementation of AnMBR technology for mainstream sewage treatment: (i) membrane fouling, (ii) process configuration, (iii) process temperature, (iv) sewage sulphate concentration, and (v) sewage low organics concentration. The gel layer appears to be the main responsible for membrane fouling and flux decline being molecules size and morphology critical properties for its formation. The review also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of five novel AnMBR configurations aiming to optimise fouling control. These include the integration of membrane technology with CSTR or upflow digesters, and the utilisation of scouring particles. Psychrophilic temperatures and high sulphate concentrations are two other limiting factors due to their impact on methane yields and membrane performance. Besides the methane dissolved in the effluent and the competition for organic matter between sulphate reducing bacteria and methanogens, the review examines the impact of temperature on microbial kinetics and community, and their combined effect on AnMBR performance. Finally, the review evaluates the possibility to pre-concentrate municipal sewage by forward osmosis. Sewage pre-concentration is an opportunity to reduce the volumetric flow rate and the dissolved methane losses. Overall, the resolution of these challenges requires a compromise solution considering membrane filtration, anaerobic digestion performance and economic feasibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Vinardell, S. & Astals, S. & Peces, M. & Cardete, M.A. & Fernández, I. & Mata-Alvarez, J. & Dosta, J., 2020. "Advances in anaerobic membrane bioreactor technology for municipal wastewater treatment: A 2020 updated review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:130:y:2020:i:c:s1364032120302276
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.109936
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032120302276
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2020.109936?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lindmark, Johan & Thorin, Eva & Bel Fdhila, Rebei & Dahlquist, Erik, 2014. "Effects of mixing on the result of anaerobic digestion: Review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1030-1047.
    2. Zhen, Guangyin & Pan, Yang & Lu, Xueqin & Li, Yu-You & Zhang, Zhongyi & Niu, Chengxin & Kumar, Gopalakrishnan & Kobayashi, Takuro & Zhao, Youcai & Xu, Kaiqin, 2019. "Anaerobic membrane bioreactor towards biowaste biorefinery and chemical energy harvest: Recent progress, membrane fouling and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Chen, Cheng & Guo, Wenshan & Ngo, Huu Hao & Lee, Duu-Jong & Tung, Kuo-Lun & Jin, Pengkang & Wang, Jie & Wu, Yun, 2016. "Challenges in biogas production from anaerobic membrane bioreactors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 120-134.
    4. Macintosh, C. & Astals, S. & Sembera, C. & Ertl, A. & Drewes, J.E. & Jensen, P.D. & Koch, K., 2019. "Successful strategies for increasing energy self-sufficiency at Grüneck wastewater treatment plant in Germany by food waste co-digestion and improved aeration," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 797-808.
    5. Tauseef, S.M. & Abbasi, Tasneem & Abbasi, S.A., 2013. "Energy recovery from wastewaters with high-rate anaerobic digesters," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 704-741.
    6. Dev, Subhabrata & Saha, Shouvik & Kurade, Mayur B. & Salama, El-Sayed & El-Dalatony, Marwa M. & Ha, Geon-Soo & Chang, Soon Woong & Jeon, Byong-Hun, 2019. "Perspective on anaerobic digestion for biomethanation in cold environments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 85-95.
    7. Nie, Yulun & Chen, Rong & Tian, Xike & Li, Yu-You, 2017. "Impact of water characteristics on the bioenergy recovery from sewage treatment by anaerobic membrane bioreactor via a comprehensive study on the response of microbial community and methanogenic activ," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 459-467.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yemei Li & Yuanyuan Ren & Jiayuan Ji & Yu-You Li & Takuro Kobayashi, 2023. "Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors for Municipal Wastewater Treatment, Sewage Sludge Digestion and Biogas Upgrading: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Yang Xu & Yingying Zhu & Zhen Chen & Jinyuan Zhu & Geng Chen, 2022. "A Comprehensive Review on Forward Osmosis Water Treatment: Recent Advances and Prospects of Membranes and Draw Solutes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-38, July.
    3. Magdalena Zielińska & Adenike Ojo, 2023. "Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors (AnMBRs) for Wastewater Treatment: Recovery of Nutrients and Energy, and Management of Fouling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Sergi Vinardell & Gaetan Blandin & Federico Ferrari & Geoffroy Lesage & Joan Mata-Alvarez & Joan Dosta & Sergi Astals, 2022. "Techno-economic analysis of forward osmosis pre-concentration before an anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Impact of draw solute and membrane material," Post-Print hal-03709623, HAL.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trad, Zaineb & Fontaine, Jean-Pierre & Larroche, Christian & Vial, Christophe, 2016. "Multiscale mixing analysis and modeling of biohydrogen production by dark fermentation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 264-282.
    2. Roopnarain, Ashira & Rama, Haripriya & Ndaba, Busiswa & Bello-Akinosho, Maryam & Bamuza-Pemu, Emomotimi & Adeleke, Rasheed, 2021. "Unravelling the anaerobic digestion ‘black box’: Biotechnological approaches for process optimization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    3. Sohoo, Ihsanullah & Ritzkowski, Marco & Heerenklage, Jörn & Kuchta, Kerstin, 2021. "Biochemical methane potential assessment of municipal solid waste generated in Asian cities: A case study of Karachi, Pakistan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    4. Huang, Bao-Cheng & He, Chuan-Shu & Fan, Nian-Si & Jin, Ren-Cun & Yu, Han-Qing, 2020. "Envisaging wastewater-to-energy practices for sustainable urban water pollution control: Current achievements and future prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    5. Magdalena Zielińska & Adenike Ojo, 2023. "Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors (AnMBRs) for Wastewater Treatment: Recovery of Nutrients and Energy, and Management of Fouling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-17, March.
    6. Ferraz de Campos, Victor Arruda & Silva, Valter Bruno & Cardoso, João Sousa & Brito, Paulo S. & Tuna, Celso Eduardo & Silveira, José Luz, 2021. "A review of waste management in Brazil and Portugal: Waste-to-energy as pathway for sustainable development," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 802-820.
    7. Kung, Chih-Chun & Wu, Tao, 2021. "Influence of water allocation on bioenergy production under climate change: A stochastic mathematical programming approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    8. Huang, Bao-Cheng & Li, Wen-Wei & Wang, Xu & Lu, Yan & Yu, Han-Qing, 2019. "Customizing anaerobic digestion-coupled processes for energy-positive and sustainable treatment of municipal wastewater," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 132-142.
    9. Ennaceri, Houda & Fischer, Kristina & Schulze, Agnes & Moheimani, Navid Reza, 2022. "Membrane fouling control for sustainable microalgal biodiesel production: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    10. Jaime Jaimes-Estévez & German Zafra & Jaime Martí-Herrero & Guillermo Pelaz & Antonio Morán & Alejandra Puentes & Christian Gomez & Liliana del Pilar Castro & Humberto Escalante Hernández, 2020. "Psychrophilic Full Scale Tubular Digester Operating over Eight Years: Complete Performance Evaluation and Microbiological Population," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    11. Duarte, M. Salomé & Sinisgalli, Erika & Cavaleiro, Ana J. & Bertin, Lorenzo & Alves, M. Madalena & Pereira, M. Alcina, 2021. "Intensification of methane production from waste frying oil in a biogas-lift bioreactor," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 1141-1148.
    12. Mulka, Rafał & Szulczewski, Wiesław & Szlachta, Józef & Mulka, Mariusz, 2016. "Estimation of methane production for batch technology – A new approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 440-449.
    13. Nie, Erqi & He, Pinjing & Zhang, Hua & Hao, Liping & Shao, Liming & Lü, Fan, 2021. "How does temperature regulate anaerobic digestion?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Mohammed Ali Musa & Syazwani Idrus & Che Man Hasfalina & Nik Norsyahariati Nik Daud, 2018. "Effect of Organic Loading Rate on Anaerobic Digestion Performance of Mesophilic (UASB) Reactor Using Cattle Slaughterhouse Wastewater as Substrate," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, October.
    15. Julia Burmistrova & Marc Beutel & Erin Hestir & Rebecca Ryals & Pramod Pandey, 2022. "Anaerobic Co-Digestion to Enhance Waste Management Sustainability at Yosemite National Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-12, September.
    16. Hajizadeh, Abdollah & Mohamadi-Baghmolaei, Mohamad & Cata Saady, Noori M. & Zendehboudi, Sohrab, 2022. "Hydrogen production from biomass through integration of anaerobic digestion and biogas dry reforming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    17. Zamani Abyaneh, Ehsan & Zarghami, Reza & Krühne, Ulrich & Rosinha Grundtvig, Inês P. & Ramin, Pedram & Mostoufi, Navid, 2022. "Mixing assessment of an industrial anaerobic digestion reactor using CFD," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 537-549.
    18. Haorui Zhang & Jiaolin Li & Quanguo Zhang & Shengnan Zhu & Shuai Yang & Zhiping Zhang, 2020. "Effect of Substrate Concentration on Photo-Fermentation Bio-Hydrogen Production Process from Starch-Rich Agricultural Leftovers under Oscillation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-8, March.
    19. Ahmadi, Ehsan & Yousefzadeh, Samira & Mokammel, Adel & Miri, Mohammad & Ansari, Mohsen & Arfaeinia, Hossein & Badi, Mojtaba Yegane & Ghaffari, Hamid Reza & Rezaei, Soheila & Mahvi, Amir Hossein, 2020. "Kinetic study and performance evaluation of an integrated two-phase fixed-film baffled bioreactor for bioenergy recovery from wastewater and bio-wasted sludge," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    20. Zhang, Jingxin & Kan, Xiang & Shen, Ye & Loh, Kai-Chee & Wang, Chi-Hwa & Dai, Yanjun & Tong, Yen Wah, 2018. "A hybrid biological and thermal waste-to-energy system with heat energy recovery and utilization for solid organic waste treatment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 214-222.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:130:y:2020:i:c:s1364032120302276. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.