Industrial xenobiotics removal from urban wastewater in membrane bioreactors: pilot and full scale experiences in Italy

This paper shows the results of 9 years of activity on MBRs (pilot, demonstration and full scale Membrane Bioreactors) treating real urban wastewater of different composition. The objective of the activity carried out is twofold: to know the presence and the form (i.e.: dissolved or associated to suspended particulate) of industrial xenobiotics in the urban wastewater and, contemporary, estimate the MBR contribute to their removal (in particular the direct sieving effect and the influence of process parameters as sludge age and solid content). Morever, the comparison with CASPs operating in parallel with the pilot and demonstration MBRs will allow to globally quantify the actual process intensification linked to the MBR application. These will be evaluated in the different experiences so to find out if different cases would have had similar behaviour. Target compounds were more than 80, among them are heavy metals, PAHs, Volatile Organic Solvents (BTEXs), PCBs, HCB.