THE MEMBRANE BIOFILM REACTOR IS A
VERSATILE PLATFORM FOR WATER AND
WASTEWATER TREATMENT |
Bruce E. Rittmann† |
Center for Environmental Biotechnology Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701 U.S.A. |
Corresponding Author:
Bruce E. Rittmann ,Tel: 1-480-727-0434, Fax: 1-480-727-0889, Email: Rittmann@asu.edu |
Received: August 9, 2007; Accepted: September 10, 2007. |
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ABSTRACT |
The membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) creates a natural partnership of a membrane and biofilm,
because a gas-transfer membrane delivers a gaseous substrate to the biofilm that grows on the membrane’s
outer wall. O2-based MBfRs (called membrane aerated biofilm reactors, or MABRs) have existed for much
longer than H2-based MBfRs, but the H2-based MBfR is a versatile platform for reducing oxidized contaminants
in many water-treatment settings: drinking water, ground water, wastewater, and agricultural drainage.
Extensive bench-scale experimentation has proven that the H2-based MBfR can reduce many oxidized contaminant
to harmless or easily removed forms: e.g., NO3
- to N2, ClO4
- to H2O and Cl-, SeO4
2- to Se°, and
trichloroethene (TCE) to ethene and Cl-. The MBfR has been tested at the pilot scale for NO3
- and ClO4
-
and is now entering field-testing for many of the oxidized contaminants alone or in mixtures. For the MBfR
to attain its full promise, several issues must be addressed by bench and field research: understanding
interactions with mixtures of oxidized contaminants, treating waters with a high TDS concentration, developing
modules that can be used in situ to augment pre-denitrification of wastewater, and keeping the capital costs
low. |
Keywords:
Biofilm | Bio-reduction | Hydrogen | Membrane | Oxidized contamiants |
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