Effect of Hexavalent Chromium on Performance of Membrane Bioreactor in Wastewater Treatment
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 9
Abstract
The presence of toxic hexavalent chromium poses a great challenge in biological wastewater treatment. In this study, the performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for the treatment of synthetic domestic wastewater in the presence of chromium was investigated. The carbonaceous pollutant removal is not affected by Cr(VI) with concentration ranging from 0.4 to 10 mg/L; it becomes slightly lower when the Cr(VI) is 50 mg/L. The nitrification efficiency of above 99% can be achieved when the waste stream is free of the metal or contains 0.4 mg/L chromium. When its concentration is 10 mg/L, nitrification efficiency above 50% is found; however, it becomes deteriorated in the presence of 50 mg/L chromium. The positive biomass growth, though lower than conventional activated sludge process, can be achieved at Cr(VI) concentration less than 10 mg/L; a decline in the cell growth occurs when the metal concentration is increased to 50 mg/L. Significant accumulation for the metal is observed when its concentration is 0.4 mg/L; however, almost no metal removal is observed when the concentration is above 10 mg/L. During eight-month continuous operation, the presence of Cr(VI) has an insignificant effect on the flux. The nitrifiers in the MBR are more sensitive to the presence of Cr(VI) than heterotrophs.
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Acknowledgments
The financial supports provided to JPC by the National University of Singapore (Grant Nos. UNSPECIFIEDR-279–000-062–112, UNSPECIFIEDR-288–000-023–112, and UNSPECIFIEDR-288–000-017–133) are appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 9 • September 2009
Pages: 796 - 805
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 11, 2007
Accepted: Apr 7, 2009
Published online: Aug 14, 2009
Published in print: Sep 2009
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