Performance of a MBR pilot plant treating high strength wastewater subject to salinity increase: analysis of biomass activity and fouling behaviour.

Membrane bioreactors produce high quality effluents that could be suitable for reuse. However, when treating high strength wastewater subject to a salinity increase, a modification of biomass characteristics may occur. This circumstance is of importance, since it can have a significant impact in terms of biokinetic as well as fouling behaviour. The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of a pilot plant MBR, in terms of biomass activity and membrane fouling, fed with high strength synthetic wastewater, when subject to a salinity increase. With normal salinity, the pilot plant showed high removal efficiencies and high biomass respiratory activity. On the other hand, the salinity increase significantly affected the removal efficiency as well as the SMP production. Furthermore, the salinity increase showed a strong effect on biomass activity, reducing in particular the respiration rates of autotrophic populations.