Controlling the hydraulic resistance of membrane biofilms by engineering biofilm physical structure

Desmond, Peter; Huisman, Kees Theo; Sanawar, Huma; Farhat, Nadia; Traber, Jacqueline; Fridjonsson, Einar O.; Johns, Michael L.; Flemming, Hans‐Curt; Picioreanu, Cristian; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2021.118031

Cited by 44 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(207 reference statements)

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“…After being exposed to NaClO, it is noteworthy to find that the concentration of PS decreases, while the concentration of PN increases remarkably, resulting in a total increase of 364.1% in the EPS content. However, it is reported that, compared with PN, PS may contribute to denser biofilm formation, leading to more severe membrane fouling [ 37 , 38 ]. Figure 3 b further shows the amount of the intracellular ROS content of microorganisms after exposure to different chemical cleaning agents, which are produced in large quantities because of the attacks of various chemicals, probably damaging cellular DNA, RNA, and proteins [ 16 , 39 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Responses to Various Types of Chemical Regents during On-Line Cleaning of UF Membranes

et al. 2022

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Ultrafiltration is widely used to treat various environmental waters, and on-line membrane cleaning with various chemical reagents is frequently employed to sustain the filtration flux. However, the residue of cleaning agents in the ultrafiltration system is unavoidable, which may affect microbiological properties and biofilm formation during the next-round filtration. By investigating the changes in microbial characteristics, and their biofouling behaviors after exposure to HCl, NaOH, NaClO, citric acid (CA), and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), this study fills a knowledge gap in microbial responses to various types of chemical cleaning agents in an ultrafiltration system. The result shows that HCl, NaOH, and NaClO affect the bacterial properties and subsequent attachment on the membrane surface, while CA and SDS have no obvious influence on microorganisms. Specifically, HCl, NaOH, and NaClO reduce the hydrophobicity and mean size of suspended microorganisms, increase the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) release, and trigger intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, resulting in the death of a large quantity of microorganisms. Due to the self-protecting strategy, plenty of living cells aggregate on the membrane surface and form a cake layer with a stratified structure, causing more severe membrane biofouling.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Responses to Various Types of Chemical Regents during On-Line Cleaning of UF Membranes

et al. 2022

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“…Irrespective of the influent pH the biofilms were exposed to, EPS was denser at the sand interface than that of the outward-facing surface. This biofilm density appears to assist in the modulation of pH through the biofilm to the sand surface but may play a structural role in anchoring the biofilm to the sand surface (Desmond et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of alkaliphilic biofilm communities in response to extreme alkaline pH values

et al. 2022

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Extremes of pH present a challenge to microbial life and our understanding of survival strategies for microbial consortia, particularly at high pH, remains limited.The utilization of extracellular polymeric substances within complex biofilms allows micro-organisms to obtain a greater level of control over their immediate environment. This manipulation of the immediate environment may confer a survival advantage in adverse conditions to biofilms. Within the present study alkaliphilic biofilms were created at pH 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 from an existing alkaliphilic community. In each pH system, the biofilm matrix provided pH buffering, with the internal pH being 1.0-1.5 pH units lower than the aqueous environment.Increasing pH resulted in a reduced removal of substrate and standing biomass associated with the biofilm. At the highest pH investigated (pH 13.0), the biofilms matrix contained a greater degree of eDNA and the microbial community was dominated by Dietzia sp. and Anaerobranca sp.

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“…• Optimizing the RO process through the development of performance control and prediction tools for efficient membrane cleaning and an accurate estimation of the osmotic pressure throughout the pressure vessel to minimize the energy input and reduce (bio)fouling (Desmond et al 2022).…”

Section: Energy-efficient Water Desalination and Brine Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adopting the circular model: opportunities and challenges of transforming wastewater treatment plants into resource recovery factories in Saudi Arabia

Ali

Hong

Mishra

et al. 2022

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination

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With the ever-growing population, water, energy, and resources need to be used carefully, reused, and renewed. There is an increasing global interest in resource recovery from ‘waste’, which is driven by sustainability and environmental concerns and motivated by the potential for economic benefits. A new era in waste (water) management is being realized where wastewater treatment is becoming part of the circular economy by integrating the production of reusable water with energy and resource recovery. In this new perspective, wastewater is no longer seen as a waste to be treated with energy expenditure but rather as a valuable resource of freshwater, energy, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), and materials (e.g., bioplastics, cellulose fibres, and alginate). In this review paper, the conversion of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into resource recovery factories (RRFs) is presented as one of the ways forward to achieve a circular economy in the water sector for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The advanced technologies, some highlighted in the article, can be installed, integrated, or retrofitted into existing WWTPs to create RRFs enabling the recovery of freshwater, cellulose, alginate-like exopolymers (bio-ALE), and biogas from municipal wastewater achieving climate neutrality, decarbonization, and production of new and promising resources. The article highlights the need for modular, adaptive, and/or decentralized approaches using sustainable technologies such as aerobic granular sludge (AGS)-gravity-driven membrane (AGS-GDM), anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactor (AnEMBR), and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for conducive localized water reuse. The increase in reuse will reduce the pressure on non-renewable water resources and decrease dependency on the energy-intensive desalination process. This article also outlines the water challenges that are arising in KSA and what are the major water research programmes/themes undertaken to address these major challenges.

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Controlling the hydraulic resistance of membrane biofilms by engineering biofilm physical structure

Cited by 44 publications

References 73 publications

Microbial Responses to Various Types of Chemical Regents during On-Line Cleaning of UF Membranes

Microbial Responses to Various Types of Chemical Regents during On-Line Cleaning of UF Membranes

The evolution of alkaliphilic biofilm communities in response to extreme alkaline pH values

Adopting the circular model: opportunities and challenges of transforming wastewater treatment plants into resource recovery factories in Saudi Arabia

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