Advances in water pollution control and resource recovery by membrane-supported biofilm reactor

Abstract:

The traditional waste water treatment process with standard discharge as the core goal often requires high energy and material consumption, leading to the situation of reducing pollutants and increasing greenhouse gas emissions, which does not conform to the concept of sustainable development. As a novel membrane treatment technology, the membrane-supported biofilm reactor (MSBR) can utilize bubbleless aeration to provide gaseous electron donor (CH4, H2) or acceptor (O2) for attached biofilm, thereby removing contaminants from water and producing substances of recycling value. Thus, MSBR can achieve the three major goals of contaminants removal, energy saving and resource recovery. This article systematically introduced the mass transfer process of membrane biofilm and the mechanism of removing contaminants, discussed the research prospects of MSBR in resource recovery, and sorted out the typical contaminant removal in water treatment in experimental and pilot scales. Finally, we also summarized the challenges and development trends of the MSBR.