Systems and methods for producing and extracting a gas from a wastewater fluid including multiple sheets or layers that form a composite membrane. The composite membrane includes a sandwich structure in which a dry matrix layer is surrounded by a first layer including a first immobilized bacteria and a second layer including a second immobilized bacteria. The first immobilized bacteria and the second immobilized bacteria can be configured to produce a gas from one or more compounds in a wastewater fluid. The dry matrix layer can be configured to receive the gas from the first and second layers, and the gas can be extracted from the membrane. The hydrophobic coatings can be disposed between the dry matrix layer and one or both of the first and second layers. An adhesive interface can be disposed between the dry matrix layer and one or both of the first and second layers.

A water treatment apparatus is provided with: a treatment vessel into which a solution of interest S is fed; a hollow fiber membrane which is immersed in the solution of interest S in the treatment vessel and has gas permeability; and a biological membrane which is formed on the outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane and utilizes oxygen-containing air fed into the hollow fiber membrane. In the water treatment apparatus, the solution of interest S is treated with the biological membrane. The water treatment apparatus is also provided with a gas-diffusing tube which is located below the hollow fiber membrane and ejects a washing gas to wash the biological membrane; and an oxygen concentration meter which measures the oxygen concentration in discharged air that has passed through the hollow fiber membrane.

This specification describes a membrane aerated biofilm media and reactor (MABR) having a discontinuous layer of a porous material applied to the outer surface of a gas-transfer membrane. The porous material may have a void fraction of 50% or more. The porous material may have a thickness of up to about 500 microns and a pattern on the same order of magnitude as its thickness. The media may be used to carry on a deammonification reaction. In use, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and annamox bacteria grown in or on the media, with the annamox bacteria located primarily in the porous material. The supply of oxygen through the gas-transfer membrane is limited to suppress the growth of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Excess biofilm is removed, for example by coarse bubble scouring. The media may be placed in an anoxic zone of an activated sludge plant, which may be upstream of an aerobic zone.

A temperature controlled biological growth surface, including a biomass growth surface configured to support a biomass, and a temperature source in thermal communication with the biomass growth surface. Further, a method for removing one or more of nitrogen, carbon, or phosphate from a medium, including contacting a temperature controlled biological growth surface with the medium, where the biological growth surface comprises an organism configured to remove the one or more of nitrogen, carbon, or phosphate from the medium when within a temperature range, and heating the temperature controlled biological growth surface to within the temperature range in order to allow the organism to remove the one or more of nitrogen, carbon, or phosphate from the medium, or cooling the temperature controlled biological growth surface to within the temperature range in order to allow the organism to remove the one or more of nitrogen, carbon, or phosphate from the medium.

A membrane fibre bunch for use in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR), the membrane fibre bunch comprising: a group of membrane fibres arranged as a bunch (4) of vertical or horizontal membrane fibres attached at either end to an gas supply manifold (8) within the housing, with each fibre having a lumen containing a gas phase; and a means for connecting the group of membrane fibres so that the gas can flow within the lumen of the membrane; wherein the group of membrane fibres are maintained in position by a connector or overmold (10), the connector or overmold configured to maintain the group of membrane fibres (2) in a spaced-apart configuration from one another and the cross-section of the connector/overmold being of non-circular shape such as ellipsoidal, star-shape etc.

A pressure-free membrane-type oxygen permeation biofilm reactor driven by sewage thermal energy includes an aeration element, the aeration element is internally provided with a nonporous hollow fiber membrane, and two ends of the nonporous hollow fiber membrane are connected to a cold air chamber and a hot air chamber respectively. A temperature difference is formed between the cold air chamber and the hot air chamber, which can promote air flow inside the membrane and promote mass transfer of oxygen within a biofilm. A problem that energy consumption of sewage purification is unable to compensate due to a low thermal energy grade in sewage can be solved. A high efficiency of oxygen mass transfer is realized, stable functional zones of the biofilm are divided, and a sewage purification efficiency is improved. Dissolved methane can be used as an internal carbon source generated by anaerobic digestion to reduce nitrite in sewage.

A module for use in a membrane biofilm reactor is described, and systems comprising such modules are described. The module comprises a fabric formed from a sheet of hollow-fiber membranes and a spacer material situated between adjacent membrane sheets, which are wound around a central core tube in the module.

A bioreactor has a biofilm that receives a gas through a supporting membrane and another biofilm attached to an inert support. The first biofilm is aerated through the membrane and provides nitrification. The other biofilm has an anoxic or anaerobic zone and provides denitrification. A module useful in the bioreactor has cords potted in at least one potting head. Optionally, some or all of the cords have a gas transfer membrane. The module may provide inert supports, active gas transfer supports or a combination of both types of support. Multiple modules may be assembled together into a cassette, the cassette providing inert supports, active supports or a combination. The module or cassette may have an aerator for mixing or biofilm control.

An apparatus has a plurality of gas transfer membranes. The apparatus floats in water with the membranes submerged in the water. To treat the water, a gas is supplied to the membranes and is transferred to a biofilm supported on the membranes or to the water. Gas is also used to supply mixing or membrane scouring bubbles to the water. The mixing or scouring bubbles can be provided by a cyclic aeration or other gas supply system, which optionally provides gas at a variable pressure to the membranes in parallel or series with an aerator. Condensates can be removed from the membranes, and exhaust gasses from the membranes can be monitored, optionally through one or more dedicated pipes.

The subject of this invention is to use beneficial reactive support media or biofilms in the form of reactive support bases or stratums that provide structural (including dimensions) or biochemical benefits to the growth or function (including agglutination) of biofilms. The functional aspect includes the provision of reactivity to a polymeric, cellulosic or silicic framework. The functions are supplied to the structural media during manufacture, conditioning, regeneration or during colonization of biofilms. The structural support media may include biodegradable or refractory polymers/plastics, alginates or uronic acids or extracted bacterial EPS. These materials are reacted, retained or removed based on their physical characteristics.