Membrane connector to promote mass transfer in a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR)

Abstract

A membrane fiber bunch for use in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR), the membrane fiber bunch comprising: a group of membrane fibres arranged as a bunch (4) of vertical or horizontal membranefibres attached at either end to an gas supply manifold (8) within the housing, with each fiber having a lumen containing a gas phase; and a means for connecting the group of membrane fibres so that the gas can flow within the lumen of the membrane; wherein the group of membrane fibres are maintained in position by a connector or overmold (10), the connector or overmold configured to maintain thegroup of membrane fibres (2) in a spaced-apart configuration from one another and the cross-section ot the connector / overmold being of non-circular shape such as ellipsoidal, star-shape etc.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR). In particular, the present invention relates to a device for use in a MABR capable of enhancing mass transfer between sewage and a biofilm attached to the membrane. Background technique [0002] As the world's population continues to grow and more and more people move to urban environments, there are greater demands placed on wastewater treatment facilities. Both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants must achieve higher and higher water quality levels to meet regulatory standards, and both must do so in smaller spaces and using fewer resources. This drives innovation in wastewater treatment technology. One such technology that can achieve such increased treatment rates while using fewer resources is the Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR). MABR uses a gas-permeable membrane to provide oxygen to the pollutant-degrading bacteria that grow attached to the mem...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0003] There are still two problems with biofilm-based systems: 1) a large amount of energy is required to provide the oxygen necessary for biofilms and the energy required to mix water and media in these systems; Oxygen is consumed in the outer layer of the biofilm but is very thin and causes the inner layer of the biofilm to not work aerobically

The problem experienced by scaling up the size of the MABR is that the contact (mixing) between the sewage containing the pollutants and the biofilm attached to the carrying medium is insufficient

Therefore, additional mixing and enhanced mass transfer are necessary, but this must be performed without a significant increase in energy that would compromise MABR's main commercial advantage

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