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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Extraction of Structural Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Aerobic Granular Sludge
Published on: September 26, 2016
Polymeric compounds in activated sludge supernatant -- Characterisation and retention mechanisms at a full-scale
Sven Lyko1, Djamila Al-Halbouni, Thomas Wintgens
1Department of Chemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Turmstr. 46, D-52056 Aachen, Germany. lyko@ivt.rwth-aachen.de
Abstract:
In this study, for the first time a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated with focus on organic compounds in activated sludge over a period of approximately 2 years. Soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the sludge supernatant and permeate as well as bound EPS extracted from fouled membranes were determined photospectrometrically and revealed a typical composition of three main components in the order metals>humic acids>carbohydrates>proteins. Results showed an important influence on membrane fouling by soluble humic substances and carbohydrates in complexes with metal cations. It was found that Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) play a decisive role in natural organic matter (NOM) complexation and subsequent membrane blockage. The determination of molar mass distribution in supernatant and permeate by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) revealed a significant retention of macromolecular compounds by the porous membranes in the range of 10-50%.
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