Lixiu Shi, Quan Zhou, Hongming Yang, Zhaohui Jiang, Sheng Xiang, Ruihui Chen, Sha Wu, Yanxiao Wei, Eli Hendrik Sanjaya, A. Rae, Emmanuel Ackom, Hong Chen
Severe membrane fouling and limited energy recovery have restricted the application of anaerobic ceramic membrane reactor (AnCMBR) in treating high-concentration organic wastewater. In the present study, a low electric field at the voltage of 0.8 V was applied to establish E-AnCMBR to enhance pollutants removal, improve energy recovery and alleviate membrane fouling. The highest removal rate of COD, NH4+ -N and phosphorus was 98.5 ± 0.5 %, 52.4 ± 0.9 % and 63.0 ± 0.9 % at the organic loading rate (OLR) of 3.80 kgCOD/(m3·d), respectively, under which the methane yields reached the maximum value of 0.51 ± 0.02 L/gCOD. The mixtures of the E-AnCMBR exhibited low extracellular polymeric substance concentration and large floc size due to the combined effect of electrocoagulation and electrical stimulation, which significantly reducing membrane fouling tendency. The presence of Fe(Ⅱ)/Fe(Ⅲ) enhanced the synergy among potential electroactive bacteria (e.g., Desulfobacterota) and methanogens in the E-AnCMBR. Along with electrochemical and physical effect, the long-term performance stability, improved methanogenesis and membrane fouling mitigation were achieved. This study provides an energy-efficient approach for sustainable high-concentration organic wastewater management, and offers clearer insights into the mechanisms underlying synergistic enhancements in pollutant removal, methanogenesis, and membrane fouling control within the E-AnCMBR. © 2025 The Institution of Chemical Engineers
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China; Key Laboratory of Dongting Lake Aquatic Eco-Environmental Control and Restoration of Hunan Province, School of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China; School of Electrical & Information Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China; RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Kanagawa, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan; Chemistry Department, Universitas Negeri Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada; UNEP DTU Partnership, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
