Portable fluorescence instrument for detecting membrane integrity in membrane bioreactor (MBR)

Highlights

● Double fluorescence peaks model is used to characterize membrane integrity.

● Tryptophan-like substances are used to detect membrane breakage.

● Double fluorescence peaks combination reduces the inner filter effect influence.

● The detection of the instrument is less affected by backwashing operation.

Abstract

This study proposed the design, fabrication, and assembly of membrane integrity detection instruments in membrane bioreactors (MBR) based on fluorescence spectroscopy. Based on the PARAFAC model, we found that the peak at 280/335 nm strengthened after membrane breakage. The peak at 340/430 nm reflected the sludge concentration in the MBR and reduced the influence of internal filtration effects on detection. Therefore, we determined that the dual-LED light source excitation detection system can detect tryptophan-like substances at 280 nm (T-peak) and humic acid at 340 nm (C-peak). T-peak was identified as the core index indicating membrane integrity. Moreover, the C-peak is the reference indicator factor for a sensitive response to changes in the sludge concentration. The portable fluorescence instrument exhibited high sensitivity and good feedback accuracy compared to particle counting and turbidity detection, where the log reduction value was greater than 3.5. This overcomes the disadvantage of false alarms in particle counters and is not affected by the position of the pump system. This portable instrument provides a flexible and highly sensitive method for the assessment of industrial membrane integrity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Membrane integrity / Fluorescence spectrum / Portable instrument / Membrane bioreactor

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the Research Agricultural Project of Tianjin (China) (No. JBGG202207), the support of Cangzhou Institute of Tiangong University (China) (No. TGCYY-F-0103) and Beijing Nova Program (China) (No. Z201100006820040). We also thanks for Analytical & Testing Center of Tiangong University (China) for SEM work.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1783-8 and is accessible for authorized users.

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