A DYNAMIC, MECHANISTIC MODEL FOR MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR (MBR) TREATMENT PROCESSES, USING IWA ACTIVATED SLUDGE BIOLOGICAL MODELS

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) activated sludge technology has become an increasingly popular choice for the treatment of high-strength, low-flow wastewaters, particularly in the industrial sector. Modeling and simulation are cost-effective tools for optimization of activated sludge processes, and could be applied to MBR plants if a suitably sophisticated MBR process model existed. This paper proposes a comprehensive dynamic, mechanistic model of the MBR process that sufficiently captures the important and unique hydraulic, physical and biological processes of an MBR system.In addition, the advantages/disadvantages of using the more sophisticated model (vs. conventional MBR modeling methods) are discussed, with the goal of aiding the modeler in choosing the best model for the simulation task.