Material mass balance and elemental flow analysis in a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment towards low-carbon operation and resource recovery

The anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) has gained huge attention as a municipal wastewater (MWW) treatment process that combined high organics removal, a low sludge yield and bioenergy recovery. In this study, a 20 L AnMBR was set up and operated steadily for 70 days in temperate conditions with an HRT of 6 h and a flux of 12 LMH for the treatment of real MWW, focusing on the behavior of the major elements (C, N, P and S) from an elemental balance perspective. The results showed that the AnMBR achieved more than 85 % COD removal, a low sludge yield (0.081 gVSS/gCODremoved) and high methane production (0.31 L-CH4/gCODremoved) close to the theoretical value. The elemental flow analysis revealed that the AnMBR converted 77 % of the influent COD to methane (57 % gaseous and 20 % dissolved) and 6 % of the COD for sludge production. In addition, the AnMBR converted 34 % of the total carbon to energy-generated carbon, and only 3 % was in the form of CO2 in the biogas for further upgradation, which was in line with the concept of carbon neutrality. Since little nitrogen or phosphorus were removed, the permeate was nutrient-rich and further treatment to recover the nutrients would be required. This study illustrates the superior performance of the AnMBR for MWW treatment with a microscopic view of elemental behavior and provides a reference for implementing the mainstream AnMBR process in carbon-neutral wastewater treatment plants.