Research Marijn Juliaan Timmer

Abstract

Water is essential for human survival, but providing water to everyone is a challenge (Sustainable Development Goal 6). Specifically for disaster relief, the provision of clean water is a top priority, but it is very complex to set up and requires a technology that consumes little energy, and requires little area and maintenance. In this framework, we are investigating decentralised, local water treatment and reuse in a new combined membrane-aerated and -filtered bioreactor due to its low aeration energy and low surface need for sludge and water separation, with, in addition, potentially lower maintenance costs for the filtration membranes compared to classical membrane bioreactor systems. Through this project, the control strategy will be optimised to achieve maximum pollutant removal and efficiency to reliably achieve effluent qualities that meet reuse requirements.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Timmer Marijn Juliaan

Research team(s)

• Biobased sustainability engineering (SUSTAIN)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Sustainable water management is a key societal challenge of global and local relevance, necessitating highly resource-efficient treatment of domestic wastewater in terms of aeration energy and space needs and, recovery of water, energy, nutrients and carbon. Source separated decentralized grey and black water treatment greatly improves resource efficiency compared to centralized mixed sewage treatment, yet has limited implementation. Membrane-aerated biofilm reactors (MABR) are extremely energy and space efficient, but await exploration for source separation or CO2 capture concepts. Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are key to water recovery, yet lack matching with the MABR. MemBreather aims to ambitiously combine membrane aeration and membrane effluent filtration for extreme resource efficiency. Strategies will be developed to manage gassing, hybrid biomass growth (biofilm and flocs) and filtration in this unique dual membrane system. Design and operation tactics on the COD/N range from black water digestate to grey water will be investigated, including advanced control for resource-efficient nitritation/denitritation and partial nitritation/anammox. Half and full nitrification on N-rich black water digestate are explored for maximum N-recovery towards fertigation or hydroponics. Membrane collection of CO2 will be developed for C-rich grey water, i.e. for greenhouse fertilization. Preliminary economic estimations will yield the feasibility of these novel MABR-based solutions.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Vlaeminck Siegfried
• Fellow: Timmer Marijn Juliaan

Research team(s)

• Biobased sustainability engineering (SUSTAIN)

Project type(s)

• Research Project