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Drinking water denitrification by a membrane bio-reactor
Alper Nuhogl1, Turgay Pekdemir, Ergun Yildiz
1Environmental Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
Water Research
|March 21, 2002
Summary
This study shows a membrane bioreactor (MBR) effectively removes nitrate from drinking water. The MBR system achieved over 98.5% nitrate removal, producing safe drinking water.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Water Treatment Technologies
- Microbiology
Background:
- Nitrate contamination in drinking water poses significant health risks.
- Conventional water treatment methods for nitrate removal can be costly and complex.
- Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) offer a promising alternative for efficient water purification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the drinking water denitrification performance of a bench-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR).
- To evaluate the impact of hydraulic and biological parameters on MBR efficiency.
- To determine the optimal conditions for nitrate removal using MBR technology.
Main Methods:
- A bench-scale stirred tank membrane bioreactor (MBR) was operated in batch and continuous modes.
- A mixed denitrifying culture was utilized, sourced from a wastewater treatment plant.
- Nitrate removal was assessed based on varying hydraulic parameters, biological conditions, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios.
- Product water quality was analyzed for nitrate, nitrite, and mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS).
Main Results:
- The MBR system effectively removed nitrate, achieving up to 98.5% reduction.
- The integrated membrane filtration eliminated the need for post-treatment to remove MLSS.
- Optimal carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio was determined to be 2.2 in batch mode.
- Denitrification capacities reached up to 0.18 kgm⁻³day⁻¹ (reactor effluent) and 2.44 kgm⁻²day⁻¹ (membrane effluent).
- The MBR produced drinking water with nitrate-N concentration below 4 ppm from a highly contaminated source (367 ppm).
Conclusions:
- MBR technology is highly effective for drinking water denitrification.
- The membrane filtration in MBRs simplifies the treatment process by eliminating post-treatment steps.
- MBR performance is influenced by operational parameters like C/N ratio, dilution rate, and MLSS concentration.
- MBR systems are a viable solution for producing safe drinking water from nitrate-contaminated sources.