Aerobic membrane bioreactor for the efficient wastewater treatment: Recent advances

Over the past few years, there has been a lot of emphasis on wastewater treatment due to the unavailability of fresh water globally. Currently, the availability of fresh water is very limited in some parts of the world. Various problems like salinity intrusion, heavy metal injection, nutrient eutrophication, etc. are making it difficult to access fresh water. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology has great potential in resolving these issues as it is evident from recent developments in the technology, which includes cost reduction and efficient purification. The use of aerobic MBR technology in industrial wastewater treatment is a big asset. Other advantages include compact modules, lower aeration tank volume, better sludge disposal, faster process etc. This chapter mainly focuses on the recent advancements in wastewater treatment with the use of aerobic MBR. It summarizes the working principle of different types of aerobic MBR. Including the design aspects and physicochemical factors affecting the performance of MBR. Further, scale-up studies with aerobic MBR and the bottleneck of the MBR technology have been discussed. This chapter helps the reader to understand the insight of aerobic MBR in treating wastewater.