Abstract
Rural water treatment is generally more challenging than urban water treatment. This study proposed a novel rural water treatment system effectively harnessing solar energy and gravitational hydropower. Influent was initially fed to a solar-driven electrocoagulation unit, in which UV254 level was reduced (by almost 60%) and large flocs (averaging up to 66.2 μm in diameter) were formed. The effluent was then introduced to a gravity-driven ceramic membrane bioreactor (GDCMBR) at different water head differences (ΔH = 0.5 or 1.0 m). Generally, applying the greater water head difference (ΔH = 1.0 m) did not enhance removal of turbidity and organic matter, but it led to a reasonably high flux (25.9 L/m2/h). The GDCMBR enriched various useful microorganisms such as nitrifiers (Nitrospira bacteria), and denitrifiers (Diaphorobacter bacteria), enabling almost complete elimination of NH3-N and NO2––N. Overall, the findings of this study suggest the possibility of sustainable operation during rural water treatment.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 119383 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Separation and Purification Technology |
Volume | 276 |
Early online date | 31 Jul 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Floc
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Gravity-driven membrane filtration
- Membrane fouling
- Biofilm