Diagnosis of membrane bioreactor performance through residence time distribution measurements — a preliminary study Original Research Article

It is recognised that the performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) is dependent upon the flow profile and hydraulic conditions in the reactor, the literature is silent on this aspect of MBR design. Consequently, there is poor understanding of the hydraulic conditions that exist within MBRʹs. One method to characterise the hydraulic conditions is based on the concept of residence time distribution (RTD). Careful measurement of the RTD profile reveals information on the degree of mixing in the reactor and any effects that the configuration of the membrane may have on the hydraulic conditions. This work focuses on developing a RTD technique for the study of the hydrodynamics and relating it to MBR process performance. The technique would be used as a tool to determine the impact of membrane geometry, orientation and mixing efficiency on MBR performance.