Stability of nitrifying granules exposed to water flux through a coarse pore mesh.
Other conference contribution, 2015

The study of the strength and stability of aerobic granules is essential for the application of aerobic granular sludge membrane bioreactors (AGMBR). In this study, a coarse pore nylon mesh membrane was used to study the differences in compressibility and breakage of 78 aerobic granules submitted to different water fluxes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was employed to investigate the distribution of extracellular polymeric substances of cryosectioned granules. The tested granules were able to withstand fluxes much higher than those typically applied in MBRs, with pressures ranging from 0.2 to 4.5 kN m-2 before breakage. Cells, β-polysaccharides and proteins were present in higher abundance in the outer layers, while calcium ions were abundant in the outer- as well as the inner layers of the granule. The results shows that the use of coarse pore meshes operated at very high flux is a feasible technique for biomass separation in AGMBR.

extracellular polymeric substances

membrane bioreactor

confocal laser scanning microscopy

flux

Aerobic granular sludge

strength

Author

Raquel Liebana

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Enikö Barbara Szabo

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Oskar Modin

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Frank Persson

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Carolina Suarez

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Malte Hermansson

University of Gothenburg

Britt-Marie Wilen

Chalmers, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Subject Categories

Environmental Engineering

Biological Sciences

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