Newly Designed Hydrolysis Acidification Flat-Sheet Ceramic Membrane Bioreactor for Treating High-Strength Dyeing Wastewater

Cost-effective treatment of dyeing wastewater remains a challenge. In this study, a newly designed hydrolysis acidification flat-sheet ceramic membrane bioreactor (HA-CMBR) was used in treating high-strength dyeing wastewater. The start-up phase of the HA-CMBR was accomplished in 29 days by using cultivated seed sludge. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate reached about 62% with influent COD of 7800 mg/L and an organic loading rate of 7.80 kg-COD/(m(3)·d). Chromaticity removal exceeded 99%. The results show that the HA-CMBR has good removal performance in treating dyeing wastewater. The HA-CMBR could run with low energy consumption at trans-membrane pressure (TMP) <10 kPa due to the good water permeability of the flat-sheet ceramic membrane. New strains with 92%–96% similarity to Alkalibaculum bacchi, Pseudomonas sp., Desulfovibrio sp., and Halothiobacillaceae were identified in the HA-CMBR. Microbial population analysis indicated that Desulfovibrio sp., Deltaproteobacteria, Halothiobacillaceae, Alkalibaculum sp., Pseudomonas sp., Desulfomicrobium sp., and Chlorobaculum sp. dominated in the HA-CMBR.