The Design and Performance Prediction Model of an Integrated Scheme of a Membrane Bioreactor and Anaerobic Digester for the Treatment of Domestic Wastewater and Biowaste

An innovative and integrated scheme that encompasses two well-established waste treatment technologies, the aerobic biological degradation of organic matter bioprocess via membranes and anaerobic digestion, was demonstrated as a zero-waste approach that may effectively treat wastewater and biowaste in an integrated and symbiotic manner. Aiming to create a tool for the design, monitoring, and control of the scheme, prediction models were developed, validated, and implemented for the process simulation of the integrated scheme. The minimization of selected objective functions led to the estimation of the models’ parameters. The activated sludge model no. 1 (ASM1) was adopted for the simulation of the aerobic membrane bioreactor. The kinetic parameters were calibrated using volatile suspended solids and total nitrogen as the objective functions permitting the model to simulate the bioprocess satisfactorily (Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency > 0.86) and to calculate the concentration of the active biomass. The predominance of heterotrophic bacteria (4300 to 9770 mg COD/L) over autotrophic biomass (508 to 1422 mg COD/L) was showcased. For the anaerobic process unit, a simplified anaerobic digestion model 1 ADM1-R4 was used, and the first-order hydrolysis constants (k ch 0.41 d −1 , k pr 0.25 d −1 , k li 0.09 d −1 ) and microbial decay rate (k dec 0.02 d −1 ) were evaluated, enabling an accurate prediction of biogas production rates. A full-scale implementation of the integrated scheme was conducted for a decentralized waste treatment plant in a small community. Preliminary design calculations were performed in order to estimate the values related to certain process and technical parameters. The performance of this full-scale plant was simulated by the developed model, presenting clear benefits for practical applications in waste treatment plants.