Metabolic uncoupler, 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide addition for sludge reduction and fouling control in a gravity-driven membrane bioreactor

Abstract

• Effects of metabolic uncoupler TCS on the performances of GDMBR were evaluated.

• Sludge EPS reduced and transformed into dissolved SMP when TCS was added.

• Appropriate TCS increased the permeability and reduced cake layer fouling.

• High dosage aggravated fouling due to compact cake layer with low bio-activity.

The gravity-driven membrane bioreactor (MBR)system is promising for decentralized sewage treatment because of its low energy consumption and maintenance requirements. However, the growing sludge not only increases membrane fouling, but also augments operational complexities (sludge discharge). We added the metabolic uncoupler 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) to the system to deal with the mentioned issues. Based on the results, TCS addition effectively decreased sludge ATP and sludge yield (reduced by 50%). Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS; proteins and polysaccharides) decreased with the addition of TCS and were transformed into dissolved soluble microbial products (SMPs) in the bulk solution, leading to the break of sludge flocs into small fragments. Permeability was increased by more than two times, reaching 60–70 L/m²/h bar when 10–30 mg/L TCS were added, because of the reduced suspended sludge and the formation of a thin cake layer with low EPS levels. Resistance analyses confirmed that appropriate dosages of TCS primarily decreased the cake layer and hydraulically reversible resistances. Permeability decreased at high dosage (50 mg/L) due to the release of excess sludge fragments and SMP into the supernatant, with a thin but more compact fouling layer with low bioactivity developing on the membrane surface, causing higher cake layer and pore blocking resistances. Our study provides a fundamental understanding of how a metabolic uncoupler affects the sludge and bio-fouling layers at different dosages, with practical relevance for in situ sludge reduction and membrane fouling alleviation in MBR systems.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Gravity-driven membrane (GDM) / Energy uncoupling / Permeability / Sludge reduction / Membrane fouling / Fouling layer

References

[1] Adav S S, Lee D J (2008). Extraction of extracellular polymeric substances from aerobic granule with compact interior structure. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 154(1–3): 1120–1126

[2] Baker A (2001). Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix characterization of some sewage-impacted rivers. Environmental Science & Technology, 35(5): 948–953

[3] Chang H, Liu B, Wang H, Zhang S Y, Chen S, Tiraferri A, Tang Y Q (2019). Evaluating the performance of gravity-driven membrane filtration as desalination pretreatment of shale gas flowback and produced water. Journal of Membrane Science, 587: 587

[4] Chen G W, Yu H Q, Liu H X, Xu D Q (2006). Response of activated sludge to the presence of 2,4-dichlorophenol in a batch culture system. Process Biochemistry, 41(8): 1758–1763

[5] Chen G W, Yu H Q, Xi P G (2007). Influence of 2,4-dinitrophenol on the characteristics of activated sludge in batch reactors. Bioresource Technology, 98(4): 729–733

[6] Chen W, Westerhoff P, Leenheer J A, Booksh K (2003). Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix regional integration to quantify spectra for dissolved organic matter. Environmental Science & Technology, 37(24): 5701–5710

[7] Derlon N, Koch N, Eugster B, Posch T, Pernthaler J, Pronk W, Morgenroth E (2013). Activity of metazoa governs biofilm structure formation and enhances permeate flux during Gravity-Driven Membrane (GDM) filtration. Water Research, 47(6): 2085–2095

[8] Ding A, Liang H, Li G, Derlon N, Szivak I, Morgenroth E, Pronk W (2016a). Impact of aeration shear stress on permeate flux and fouling layer properties in a low pressure membrane bioreactor for the treatment of grey water. Journal of Membrane Science, 510: 382–390

[9] Ding A, Liang H, Li G, Szivak I, Traber J, Pronk W (2017a). A low energy gravity-driven membrane bioreactor system for grey water treatment: Permeability and removal performance of organics. Journal of Membrane Science, 542(11): 408–417

[10] Ding A, Liang H, Qu F, Bai L, Li G, Ngo H H, Guo W (2014). Effect of granular activated carbon addition on the effluent properties and fouling potentials of membrane-coupled expanded granular sludge bed process. Bioresource Technology, 171(1): 240–246

[11] Ding A, Wang J, Lin D, Tang X, Cheng X, Li G, Ren N, Liang H (2017b). In situ coagulation versus pre-coagulation for gravity-driven membrane bioreactor during decentralized sewage treatment: Permeability stabilization, fouling layer formation and biological activity. Water Research, 126: 197–207

[12] Ding A, Wang J, Lin D, Tang X, Cheng X, Wang H, Bai L, Li G, Liang H (2016b). A low pressure gravity-driven membrane filtration (GDM) system for rainwater recycling: Flux stabilization and removal performance. Chemosphere, 172: 21–28

[13] Ding A, Zhao Y, Yan Z, Bai L, Yang Y, Liang H, Li G, Ren N (2020). Co-application of energy uncoupling and ultrafiltration in sludge treatment: Evaluations of sludge reduction, supernatant recovery and membrane fouling control. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 14(4): 59

[14] Du X, Xu J, Mo Z, Luo Y, Su J, Nie J, Wang Z, Liu L, Liang H (2019). The performance of gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration for roofing rainwater reuse: Implications of roofing rainwater energy and rainwater purification. Science of the Total Environment, 650(2): 697–708

[15] Feng X C, Guo W Q, Yang S S, Zheng H S, Du J S, Wu Q L, Ren N Q (2014). Possible causes of excess sludge reduction adding metabolic uncoupler, 3,3′4′5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS), in sequence batch reactors. Bioresource Technology, 173: 96–103

[16] Ferrer-Polonio E, Fernández-Navarro J, Alonso-Molina J L, Bes-Piá A, Amorós I, Mendoza-Roca J A (2019). Changes in the process performance and microbial community by addition of the metabolic uncoupler 3,3′4′5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide in sequencing batch reactors. Science of the Total Environment, 694(12): 133726

[17] Habermacher J, Benetti A D, Derlon N, Morgenroth E (2015). The effect of different aeration conditions in activated sludge—Side-stream system on sludge production, sludge degradation rates, active biomass and extracellular polymeric substances. Water Research, 85: 46–56

[18] Jiang B, Liu Y (2010). Energy uncoupling inhibits aerobic granulation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 85(3): 589–595

[19] Jiang B, Liu Y (2012). Roles of ATP-dependent N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in aerobic granulation. Chemosphere, 88(9): 1058–1064

[20] Jiang B, Liu Y (2013). Dependence of structure stability and integrity of aerobic granules on ATP and cell communication. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 97(11): 5105–5112

[21] Qu J, Wang H, Wang K, Yu G, Ke B, Yu H Q, Ren H, Zheng X, Li J, Li W W, Gao S, Gong H (2019). Municipal wastewater treatment in China: Development history and future perspectives. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 13(6): 88

[22] Li Y, Li A M, Xu J, Liu B, Fu L C, Li W W, Yu H Q (2012). SMP production by activated sludge in the presence of a metabolic uncoupler, 3,3′4′5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS). Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 95(5): 1313–1321

[23] Liu Y (2000). Effect of chemical uncoupler on the observed growth yield in batch culture of activated sludge. Water Research, 34(7): 2025–2030

[24] Meng F, Zhang H, Yang F, Zhang S, Li Y, Zhang X (2006). Identification of activated sludge properties affecting membrane fouling in submerged membrane bioreactors. Separation and Purification Technology, 51(1): 95–103

[25] Meng F, Zhang S, Oh Y, Zhou Z, Shin H S, Chae S R (2017). Fouling in membrane bioreactors: An updated review. Water Research, 114: 151–180

[26] Meng F, Zhou Z, Ni B J, Zheng X, Huang G, Jia X, Li S, Xiong Y, Kraume M (2011). Characterization of the size-fractionated biomacromolecules: tracking their role and fate in a membrane bioreactor. Water Research, 45(15): 4661–4671

[27] Nescerecka A, Juhna T, Hammes F (2016). Behavior and stability of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during chlorine disinfection. Water Research, 101: 490–497

[28] Peter-Varbanets M, Hammes F, Vital M, Pronk W (2010). Stabilization of flux during dead-end ultra-low pressure ultrafiltration. Water Research, 44(12): 3607–3616

[29] Pollice A, Laera G, Blonda M (2004). Biomass growth and activity in a membrane bioreactor with complete sludge retention. Water Research, 38(7): 1799–1808

[30] Pons M N, Le Bonte S, Potier O (2004). Spectral analysis and fingerprinting for biomedia characterisation. Journal of Biotechnology, 113(1–3): 211–230

[31] Pronk W, Ding A, Morgenroth E, Derlon N, Desmond P, Burkhardt M, Wu B, Fane A G (2019). Gravity-driven membrane filtration for water and wastewater treatment: A review. Water Research, 149: 553–565

[32] Russell J B (2007). The energy spilling reactions of bacteria and other organisms. Journal of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, 13(1–3): 1–11

[33] Shi Y, Huang J, Zeng G, Gu Y, Chen Y, Hu Y, Tang B, Zhou J, Yang Y, Shi L (2017). Exploiting extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) controlling strategies for performance enhancement of biological wastewater treatments: An overview. Chemosphere, 180: 396–411

[34] Truttmann L, Su Y, Lee S, Burkhardt M, Brynj�lfsson S, Chong T H, Wu B (2020). Gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration of algae-polluted surface water. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 36: 101257

[35] Velten S, Hammes F, Boller M, Egli T (2007). Rapid and direct estimation of active biomass on granular activated carbon through adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) determination. Water Research, 41(9): 1973–1983

[36] Wang Z, Tang S, Zhu Y, Wu Z, Zhou Q, Yang D (2010). Fluorescent dissolved organic matter variations in a submerged membrane bioreactor under different sludge retention times. Journal of Membrane Science, 355(1–2): 151–157

[37] Wang Z, Wu Z, Tang S (2009). Characterization of dissolved organic matter in a submerged membrane bioreactor by using three-dimensional excitation and emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy. Water Research, 43(6): 1533–1540

[38] Xing C H, Qian Y, Wen X H, Wu W Z, Sun D (2001). Physical and biological characteristics of a tangential-flow MBR for municipal wastewater treatment. Journal of Membrane Science, 191(1): 31–42

[39] Xu H, Liu Y (2011). Control and cleaning of membrane biofouling by energy uncoupling and cellular communication. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(2): 595–601

[40] Yan W, Wang Z, Wu J, Zhao S, Wang J, Wang S (2016). Enhancing the flux of brackish water TFC RO membrane by improving support surface porosity via a secondary pore-forming method. Journal of Membrane Science, 498: 227–241

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press