Resumen de Reactores biomembrana para la depuración biológica aerobia de las aguas residuales

Iñaki Tejero Monzón, Emilio Eguía López, Tomas Francisco Vidart Toubeau, Juan-Alfredo Jacome Burgos, Juan José Osa, M. Inmaculada Lorda de los Ríos

• Various biofilm membranes reactors using flat membrane (Eguía, 1991 and Vidart, 1992), hollow fiber membrane (Jacome, 1995), and tubular membrane (Osa, 1995), for wastewater treatment, developed by the Biofilm Group of the University of Cantabria, Spain, are herein described. All reactors worked with synthetic wastewater based on glucose, and aeration based on pure oxygen, pressurized air and air at atmospheric pressure. In these reactors, a membrane is used as substratum and aeration device at the same time. Several authors have studied this process and have developed different configurations: Timberlake et al. (1988), Omishi et al. (1982), Abdel-Warith et al. (1990) and Wilderer (1995). The performance of the flat membrane reactor is very high, reaching organic load removals up to 180 g COD/m2.d, showing removal kinetics according to Monad and Blackman type. The reactor has been operated under organic loadings up to 600 g COD/m2.d, but at organic loads over 200 g COD/m2.d, better performance is not reached. When using pressurized air and pure 02, COD removals up to 75 and 90% can be reached respectively This reactor has also achieved nitrification rates of 4 7 g NH4+/m2.d. While operating with pure oxygen, nitrification rates were observed at 11 g NH4+/m2.d.