Comparison of textile dye treatment by biosorption and membrane bioreactor

The Cassulfon CMR is a sulphuric textile dye mainly used to colour "jeans". It has a dark black-blue colour, with high intensity of colour and high mineral compounds (71% of dry matter). Direct filtration experiments were carried out to quantity the capacity of macro porous membranes (1.2, 0.2 or 0.1 microm) to separate organic matter and colour from the effluent. The results show that no direct membrane filtration was efficient. To evaluate the capacity of a biological way for the elimination of this dye, batch experiments were performed to quantify the dye sorption capacity on activated sludge. Results show the high capacity of the biomass to adsorb colour (more than 4gCOD gMLVSS(-1)) while 15% of COD remain in the soluble fraction. To evaluate the biodegradability potential of the sludge, continuous operations were carried out in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Results confirm the very high MBR potential to treat such dye effluents. During operations, the organic load was progressively increased from 0.33 to 1.33 kg m(-3) d(-1) and the permeate quality was always free of suspended solids or turbidity. Moreover, the permeate COD values were always lower than 60 mg l(-1) and small permeate coloration only appeared during malfunctioning periods.