Side stream type membrane bioreactor process

• US 7,875,179 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metawater Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Metawater Company Limited
• Inventors: Kando, Koichiro, Suzuki, Shigehiro, Noguchi, Motoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry; Chester T
• Application Number:
  US12/817,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20100264081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 222 Days
• Field of Search: 210/607, 210623-627, 210/760, 210/798
• US Class Current: 210/607
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2321/04 Backflushing
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/02 Membrane cleaning or sterilisation ; Membrane regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/44 by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/16 Regeneration of sorbents, filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/1268 Membrane bioreactor systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

The invention provides a side stream type membrane bioreactor process which does not cause an excessive fall in the MLSS concentration in a bioreactor, does not require any additional effluent treatment facility for discharging backwash effluent, and can further ensure the stability of the membrane filtration performance of a separation membrane. According to the invention, in a side stream type membrane bioreactor process, a backwash effluent containing foulants that are generated by backwashing a separation membrane is collected in a backwash effluent tank, and subjected to ozone treatment, and the resultant is returned to a bioreactor. By this ozone treatment, the foulants close to the membrane pore size of the separation membrane are made fine or are made into a state be easily taken into activated sludge flocs. Therefore, even when the treated effluent is returned to the bioreactor, the membrane filtration performance of the separation membrane is not deteriorated.

Claims

1. A side stream type membrane bioreactor process of circulating in-tank water inside a bioreactor into a separation membrane placed outside the bioreactor, thereby taking out filtered water, wherein a backwash effluent containing foulant that is generated by backwashing the separation membrane is subjected to ozone treatment, and further the treated effluent is returned to the bioreactor.

2. The side stream type membrane bioreactor process according to claim 1, wherein by the ozone treatment, the foulants are made into a size finer than a membrane pore size of the separation membrane.

3. The side stream type membrane bioreactor process according to claim 1, wherein the supply amount of ozone in the ozone treatment is set into the range of 20 to 100 mgO₃ per liter of the backwash effluent.

4. The side stream type membrane bioreactor process according to claim 1, wherein the separation membrane is a ceramic monolithic membrane.

5. The side stream type membrane bioreactor process according to claim 4, wherein the separation membrane has a primary side channel having a circular cross-section or a polygonal cross-section.

6. The side stream type membrane bioreactor process according to claim 1, wherein the backwash effluent is subjected to the ozone treatment and further returned to the bioreactor, thereby keeping the MLSS concentration in the in-tank water in the bioreactor in the range of 5000 to 20000 mg/L.

7. The side stream type membrane bioreactor process according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the backwashing is in the range of once every 10 minutes to once every 3 hours.