Treatment of high‐strength synthetic textile wastewater through anaerobic osmotic membrane bioreactor and effect of sludge characteristics on flux

Abstract The anaerobic osmotic membrane bioreactor (AnOMBR) system was evaluated for the treatment of high‐strength synthetic textile wastewater. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration was above 3,000 mg/L and color above 1,300 Pt‐Co in the synthetic textile wastewater. The study was divided into six cycles of roughly nine days each. Mono ammonium phosphate with 1 M concentration was used as draw solution. Average COD and color removal efficiencies from anaerobic bioreactor were 57% ± 5% and 43.7% ± 6%, respectively; however, in OMBR permeate, these parameters were improved to 91% ± 4% and 91% ± 2%, respectively. After each cycle, membrane cleaning was performed using osmotic backwashing for 3 hours, which produced flux recovery values between 88% and 61% from cycle 2 to cycle 6, respectively. High mixing speed of the stirrer bar (600 rpm) in the bioreactor produced a greater shear force, causing a reduction in average sludge particle size from 10 to 3.5 μm. It increased the release of soluble microbial products and extra polymeric substances to cause an initial flux decline from 3.3 to 2.2 LMH from cycle 1 to cycle 6. The study proved AnOMBR as a promising technology for high‐strength synthetic textile wastewater treatment.