Advanced membrane bioreactors for emerging contaminant removal and quorum sensing control

Presence of organic micropollutants (OMP) in wastewater has become an emerging concern due to OMP's bioaccumulation capacity in the aquatic environment and their harmful effects. As a result, numerous processes have been explored as alternatives to conventional activated sludge (CAS) to address OMP removal. Among these, membrane bioreactor (MBR) has become a promising option due to its capacity to retain high microorganism concentration and produce high effluent quality with low sludge production. MBR has been proven effective in OMP removal. Nonetheless, recalcitrance of other OMPs and membrane fouling limited MBR efficiency. Integration of MBR with other processes such as advanced oxidation, ozonation, adsorption, reverse osmosis, and electrochemical processes increased MBR efficiency while quorum sensing (QS) inhibition through quorum quenching (QQ) was proven effective in membrane fouling mitigation.