Membrane biofouling in pilot-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) treating municipal wastewater: impact of biofilm formation

For more efficient control and prediction of membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs), a fundamental understanding of mechanisms of membrane biofouling is essential. In this study, we operated full-scale submerged MBRs using real municipal wastewater delivered from the primary sedimentation basin of a municipal wastewater treatment facility over 3 months, and the adhesion and formation of biofilms on 0.4-microm pore size polyethylene hollow-fiber microfiltration (MF) membrane surfaces, separated from simple deposition of sludge cake, were monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the compositions of planktonic and biofilm microbial communities in the MBR were analyzed using culture independent molecular-based methods (i.e., fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis). The SEM and LIVE/DEAD staining analyses clearly showed that the biofilms gradually developed on the membrane surfaces with time, which had a strong positive correlation with the increase in trans-membrane pressure (TMP). This indicated that the biofilm formation induced the membrane fouling. The FISH results revealed that the microbial communities on membrane surfaces were quite different from those in the planktonic biomass in the mixed liquor. Moreover, FISH and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses revealed that a specific phylogenetic group of bacteria, the Betaproteobacteria, probably played a major role in development of the mature biofilms, which led to the severe irreversible membrane biofouling.     

Significance of Chloroflexi in performance of submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR) treating municipal wastewater

We operated pilot-scale submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR) treating real municipal wastewater for over 3 months and observed an interesting phenomenon that carbohydrate concentrations in the MBRs rapidly increased, which consequently resulted in membrane fouling, when relative abundance of the member of uncultured Chloroflexi decreased from over 30% of total Bacteria to less than 10%. We, therefore, hypothesized that the uncultured Chloroflexi present in the MBRs could preferentially degrade carbohydrates and consequently prevent membrane fouling. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the phylogenetic identity, diversity, and in situ physiology (substrate utilization characteristics) of Chloroflexi residing in the MBR by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis and microautoradiography combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH) technique. Most of the clones related to the phylum Chloroflexiwere affiliated with the Chloroflexi subphylum 1 containing only a few cultured representatives. The MAR-FISH revealed that the members of Chloroflexi were metabolically versatile and could preferentially utilize glucose and N-acetyl glucosamine (a main substantial constituent of the cell wall peptidoglycan) under oxic and anoxic conditions. The utilization of these compounds was low at low pH. These findings suggest that the members of Chloroflexi are ecologically significant in the MBR treating municipal wastewater and are responsible for degradation of SMP including carbohydrates and cellular materials, which consequently reduces membrane fouling potential.     

Membrane fouling of submerged membrane bioreactors: impact of mean cell residence time and the contributing factors

In this study, four bench-scale pre-anoxic submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR) were operated simultaneously at different mean cell residence times (MCRTs) (3, 5, 10, and 20 days) to systematically elucidate the contributing factors of membrane fouling. Severe membrane fouling was first observed in the 3-day followed by the 5-day MCRT MBRs. Minimal membrane fouling was detected in the 10 and 20-day MCRT MBRs. The fouling of microfiltration membrane was not controlled by mixed liquor suspended solids concentration or zeta potential of biomass. Instead, membrane fouling rate increased with increasing soluble microbial products and extracellular polymeric substances concentrations, which both increased with decreasing MCRT. Total organic carbon, protein, carbohydrate, and UV254 absorbance in the mixed liquor supernatant increased with decreasing MCRT and were consistently higher than those of the effluent. Accumulation of carbohydrates rather than proteins in the mixed liquor supernatant was found to decrease with increasing MCRT. Normalized capilliary suction time value rather than the capilliary suction time value would indicate membrane fouling potential of a mixed liquor. Image analysis of the fouled membrane using scanning electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope showed that biofilm formation was the cause of membrane fouling.     

Elimination of selected acidic pharmaceuticals from municipal wastewater by an activated sludge system and membrane bioreactors

The elimination of six acidic pharmaceuticals (clofibric acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, mefenamic acid, and naproxen) in a real wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) using an activated sludge system and membrane bioreactors (MBRs) was investigated by using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system for measurement of the compounds. Limited information is available for some of the tested pharmaceuticals at present. Solid retention times (SRTs) of the WWTP and the two MBRs were 7, 15, and 65 days, respectively. The elimination rates varied from compound to compound. The MBRs exhibited greater elimination rates for the examined pharmaceuticals than did the real plant. Dependency of the elimination rates of the pharmaceuticals on SRTs was obvious; the MBR operated with a longer SRT of 65 days clearly showed better performance than did the MBR with a shorter SRT of 15 days. The difference between the two MBRs was particularly significant in terms of elimination of ketoprofen and diclofenac. Measurements of the amounts of adsorbed pharmaceuticals on the sludge and aerobic batch elimination experiments were carried out to investigate the elimination pathways of the pharmaceuticals. Results of the batch elimination tests revealed that the sludges in the MBRs had large specific sorption capacities mainly due to their large specific surface areas. Despite the sorption capacities of sludges, the main mechanism of elimination of the pharmaceuticals in the investigated processes was found to be biodegradation. Biodegradation of diclofenac, which has been believed to be refractory to biodegradation, seemed to occur very slowly.     

Effect of flux (transmembrane pressure) and membrane properties on fouling and rejection of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes treating perfluorooctane sulfonate containing wastewater

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is an emergent contaminant of substantial environmental concerns. In this study, reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes were used to remove this toxic and persistent compound from PFOS-containing wastewater. Five RO membranes and three NF membranes were tested at a feed concentration of 10 ppm PFOS over 4 days, and the PFOS rejection and permeate flux performances were systematically investigated. PFOS rejection was well correlated to sodium chloride rejection. The rejection efficiencies for the RO membranes were > 99%, and those for the NF membranes ranged from 90-99%. Improvement in PFOS rejection, together with mild flux reduction (< 16%), was observed at longer filtration time. Such shifts in rejection and flux performance were probably due to the increased PFOS accumulation at longer duration, as shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and liquid chromatograph and tandem mass spectrometry results. A fraction of PFOS molecules might be entrapped in the polyamide layer of the composite membranes, which hindered the further passage of both water and other PFOS molecules. In a similar fashion, PFOS rejection and fouling were enhanced for greater initial flux and/or applied pressure, where PFOS accumulation was promoted probably due to increased hydrodynamic permeate drag. Flux reduction was also shown to correlate to membrane roughness, with the rougher membranes tend to experience more flux reduction than the smoother ones.     

Determination of sex hormones and nonylphenol ethoxylates in the aqueous matrixes of two pilot-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants

Two analytical methods were developed and refined for the detection and quantitation of two groups of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the liquid matrixes of two pilot-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants. The targeted compounds are seven sex hormones (estradiol, ethinylestradiol, estrone, estriol, testosterone, progesterone, and androstenedione), a group of nonionic surfactants (nonylphenol polyethoxylates), and their biodegradation byproducts nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates with one, two, and three ethoxylates. Solid phase extraction using C-18 for steroids and graphitized carbon black for the surfactants were used for extraction. HPLC-DAD and GC/MS were used for quantification. Each of the two 20 L/h pilot-scale plants consists of a primary settling tank followed by a three-stage aeration tank and final clarification. The primary and the waste-activated sludge are digested anaerobically in one plant and aerobically in the other. The pilot plants are fed with a complex synthetic wastewater spiked with the EDCs. Once steady state was reached, liquid samples were collected from four sampling points to obtain the profile for all EDCs along the treatment system. Complete removal from the aqueous phase was obtained for testosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone. Removals for nonylphenol polyethoxylates, estradiol, estrone, and ethinylestradiol from the aqueous phase exceeded 96%, 94%, 52%, and 50%, respectively. Levels of E3 in the liquid phase were low, and no clear conclusions could be drawn concerning its removal.     

Strong hg(II) complexation in municipal wastewater effluent and surface waters

The speciation of mercury(II) in the aquatic environment is greatly affected by the presence of ligands capable of forming extremely strong complexes with Hg(II). In this study, a novel competitive ligand exchange (CLE) technique was used to characterize Hg(II)-complexing ligands in samples collected from three municipal wastewater treatment plants, a eutrophic lake, a creek located downstream of an abandoned mercury mine, and a model water containing dissolved Suwannee River humic acid. These samples contained 3.3-15.9 mg/L dissolved organic carbon and were amended with 1.0-1.7 nM Hg(II) for CLE analysis. Results indicated that all samples contained labile Hg(II)-complexing ligands with conditional stability constants similar to those of reduced sulfur-containing ligands. Two wastewater effluent samples also contained approximately 0.5 nM of ligands that formed extremely strong Hg(II) complexes that did not dissociate in the presence of competing ligands. The conditional stability constant of these extremely strong or nonlabile complexes (i.e., (c)K(HgL)) were estimated to be greater than 10(30), for the reaction Hg(2+) + L' = HgL. The third wastewater sample and the eutrophic lake sample contained lower concentrations, 0.07-0.09 nM, of nonlabile Hg(II)-complexing ligands. The results suggested that these extremely strong Hg(ll)-complexing ligands should account for most of the dissolved Hg(II) species in municipal wastewater effluent and may dominate Hg(II) speciation in effluent-receiving waters.     

Interrelated effects of aeration and mixed liquor fractions on membrane fouling for submerged membrane bioreactor processes in wastewater treatment

The interactions of mixed liquor fractions and their impacts on membrane fouling were examined at different sparging aeration intensities for submerged hollow-fiber membrane bioreactors (MBR) in wastewater treatment. The mixed liquor samples were fractioned by size into MLSS, colloids quantified by colloidal TOC, and dissolved solutes. The experimental results showed that their significance in membrane fouling was strongly related to aeration intensity. In the absence of sparging aeration, both MLSS and colloids contributed to membrane fouling which was further enhanced by their interactions. For the tested membrane module operated at the vigorous aeration intensity typically employed in practice, however, the deposition of colloids was identified as the most important mechanism controlling membrane fouling rates. In contrast, much fewer effects were exerted by MLSS: the overall fouling rates were increased initially, and then reduced with increasing concentration of MLSS. Thus, the aeration-induced turbulence should be considered for properly assessing the mixed liquor fouling potential for wastewater MBR processes. Finally, little difference in fouling rates was observed with the use of cyclic aeration mode as compared to continuous aeration mode.     

Role of soluble microbial products (SMP) in membrane fouling and flux decline

Soluble microbial products (SMP), a significant component of effluent organic matter (EfOM), play an important role in membrane fouling and flux decline in wastewater reclamation/reuse applications. The SMP compounds of a microbial origin are derived during biological processes of wastewater treatment. They exhibit the characteristics of hydrophilic organic colloids and macromolecules. These high molecular weight compounds play an important role in creating high resistance of the membrane, leading to a reduction of permeate flux. The SMP fouling of RO, NF, and tight UF membranes is associated with formation of a cake/gel layer due to size (steric) exclusion. FTIR spectra of SMP- and EfOM-fouled membranes exhibited foulants' composition, consisting of polysaccharides, proteins, and/or aminosugar-like compounds. This finding reveals the important role of the SMP components as factors in membrane fouling and flux decline associated with EfOM source waters. Solids retention time (SRT) affects the characteristics and amounts of SMP, however, SRT did not affect flux decline trends of RO and NF membranes.     

Removal of sulfur-organic polar micropollutants in a membrane bioreactor treating industrial wastewater

While membrane bioreactors (MBR) have proven their large potential to remove bulk organic matter from municipal as well as industrial wastewater, their suitability to remove poorly degradable polar wastewater contaminants is yet unknown. However, this is an important aspect for the achievable effluent quality and in terms of wastewater reuse. We have analyzed two classes of polar sulfur-organic compounds, naphthalene sulfonates and benzothiazoles, by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) over a period of 3 weeks in the influent and effluent of a full-scale MBR with external ultrafiltration that treats tannery wastewater. While naphthalene monosulfonates were completely removed, total naphthalene disulfonate removal was limited to about 40%, and total benzothiazoles concentration decreased for 87%. Quantitative as well as qualitative data did not indicate an adaptation to or a more complete removal of these polar aromatic compounds by the MBR as compared to literature data on conventional activated sludge treatment. While quality improvements in receiving waters for bulk organic matter are documented and the same can be anticipated for apolar particle-associated contaminants, these data provide no indication that MBR will improve the removal of polar poorly biodegradable organic pollutants.     

Characteristics of a self-forming dynamic membrane coupled with a bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment

A self-forming dynamic membrane (SFDM) method that used the biomass layer formed on a coarse mesh to effect solid-liquid separation was proposed. A 100-microm Dacron mesh material was used to make the SFDM modules. A SFDM coupled bioreactor (SFDMBR) was tested to treat actual municipal wastewater, and the performance and mechanisms of the SFDM were investigated. The SFDMBR worked by gravity filtration, and the water head drop was generally <5 cm. The effluent suspended solid concentrations were undetectable in most cases, and the COD and NH3 N removal efficiencies averaged 84.2% and 98.03%, respectively. An aeration in situ was adequate for cleaning the clogged modules, and the SFDM was readily and quickly re-formed. The biomass layer of the SFDM consisted of a cake layer and a gel layer. The gel layer had structures like conventional membranes and acted the key role in the SFDM. The permeability of the used mesh attached to the gel layer could be improved because the gel layer made the filtration surface more hydrophilic.     

Similarities between inorganic sulfide and the strong Hg(II)-complexing ligands in municipal wastewater effluent

Municipal wastewater effluent contains ligands that form Hg(II) complexes that are inert in the presence of glutathione (GSH) during competitive ligand exchange experiments. In this study, the strong ligands in wastewater effluent were further characterized by comparing their behavior with sulfide-containing ligands in model solutions and by measuring their concentration after exposing them to oxidants. The strong Hg(II) complexes in wastewater effluent and the complexes formed when Hg(II) was added to S(-II) were retained during C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) and did not dissociate in the presence of up to 100 microM GSH. In contrast, Hg(II) complexes with dissolved humic acid were hydrophilic and dissociated in the presence of GSH. The combination of sulfide and humic acid resulted in formation of Hg(II) complexes that were inert to GSH and were only partially retained by C18-SPE, indicating that NOM interacted with the Hg-sulfide complexes. When wastewater effluent samples and model solutions of free sulfide, Zn-sulfide, and Fe-sulfide were exposed to 0.14 mM NaOCl for 1 h (to mimic conditions encountered during chlorine disinfection), the strong Hg(II)-complexing ligands were completely removed. Exposure of the wastewater effluent and the model ligands to oxygen for 2 weeks resulted in approximately 60% to 75% loss of strong ligands. The strong ligands that remained in the oxygen-oxidized samples were resistant to further oxidation by chlorine, indicating that oxidation of S(-II) results in the formation of other sulfur-containing ligands such as S8 that form strong complexes with Hg(II).     

酱油膜澄清过滤污染机理研究

膜过滤技术正越来越多地应用到酱油等传统发酵制品的澄清过程中,但酱油原料成分复杂,膜污染较为严重,并且目前酱油澄清过滤中膜污染机理尚不清晰。该研究通过通量曲线对Hermia理论模型的线性拟合,探究酱油微滤过程中完全堵塞、中间堵塞、标准堵塞和滤饼层堵塞4种污染机制对膜污染的影响程度。结果显示酱油过滤初期较短时间内膜污染是由多种机制(完全堵塞、中间堵塞)联合控制,在此后较长时间滤饼层污染是造成通量下降的主要机制。在此基础上,进一步探究了跨膜压差、膜面流速、操作温度对滤饼层污染的影响,结果显示膜面流速从0.06 m/s上升至0.30m/s,滤饼层模型参数Kgl值从6.03×108 s/m~2下降至6.28×107 s/m~2,滤饼层污染显著降低。该研究可为酱油澄清过滤过程中膜污染的控制及清洗滤膜提供理论依据。     

Fluorochemical mass flows in a municipal wastewater treatment facility

Fluorochemicals have widespread applications and are released into municipal wastewater treatment plants via domestic wastewater. A field study was conducted at a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant to determine the mass flows of selected fluorochemicals. Flow-proportional, 24 h samples of raw influent, primary effluent, trickling filter effluent, secondary effluent, and final effluent and grab samples of primary, thickened, activated, and anaerobically digested sludge were collected over 10 days and analyzed by liquid chromatography electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Significant decreases in the mass flows of perfluorohexane sulfonate and perfluorodecanoate occurred during trickling filtration and primary clarification, while activated sludge treatment decreased the mass flow of perfluorohexanoate. Mass flows of the 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate were unchanged as a result of wastewater treatment, which indicates that conventional wastewater treatment is not effective for removal of these compounds. A net increase in the mass flows for perfluorooctane and perfluorodecane sulfonates occurred from trickling filtration and activated sludge treatment. Mass flows for perfluoroalkylsulfonamides and perfluorononanoate also increased during activated sludge treatment and are attributed to degradation of precursor molecules.     

Discharge of three benzotriazole corrosion inhibitors with municipal wastewater and improvements by membrane bioreactor treatment and ozonation

A set of three benzotriazole corrosion inhibitors was analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in wastewaters and in a partially closed water cycle in the Berlin region. Benzotriazole (BTri) and two isomers of tolyltriazole (TTri) were determined in untreated municipal wastewater with mean dissolved concentrations of 12 microg/L (BTri), 2.1 microg/L (4-TTri), and 1.3 microg/L (5-TTri). Removal in conventional activated sludge (CAS) municipal wastewater treatment ranged from 37% for BTri to insignificant removal for 4-TTri. In laboratory batch tests 5-TTri was mineralized completely and 4-TTri was mineralized to only 25%. This different behavior of the three benzotriazoles was confirmed by following the triazoles through a partially closed water cycle, into bank filtrate used for drinking water production, where BTri (0.1 microg/L) and 4-TTri (0.03 microg/ L) but no 5-TTri were detected after a travel time of several months. The environmental half-life appears to increase from 5-TTri over BTri to 4-TTri. Treatment of municipal wastewater by a lab-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) instead of CAS improved the removal of BTri and 5-TTri but could not avoid their discharge. Almost complete removal was achieved by ozonation of the treatment plant effluent with 1 mg O3/mg DOC.     

Carbamazepine and its metabolites in wastewater and in biosolids in a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) are discharged into the environment from domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this study, we determined the distribution of the anti-epileptic drug, carbamazepine (CBZ), and its major metabolites and caffeine in both aqueous and solid phases through different treatment processes of a WWTP. A method was developed to extract samples of biosolids using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), coupled with cleanup of extracts using solid-phase extraction. Samples of biosolids and wastewater were analyzed for caffeine and CBZ and five of its metabolites, 10,11-dihydro-10,11-epoxycarbamazepine (CBZ-EP), 11-dihydro-10,11-epoxycarbamazepine (CBZ-DiOH), 2-hydroxycarbamazepine (CBZ-20H), 3-hydroxycarbamazepine (CBZ-30H), and 10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxycarbamazepine (CBZ-100H). The analytes were quantified using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The recoveries of the analytes were 82.1-91.3% from raw biosolids and 80.1-92.4% from treated biosolids, and the limits of detection were 0.06-0.50 and 0.06-0.40 microg/kg on a wet weight basis for raw and treated biosolids, respectively. The behavior of carbamazepine and its metabolites, together with caffeine as a marker of domestic inputs, was investigated in the WWTP for the City of Peterborough, ON, Canada, which utilizes secondary sewage treatment technologies. CBZ, CBZ-2OH, CBZ-30H, and CBZ-DiOH were detected at concentrations of 69.6, 1.9, 1.6, and 7.5 microg/kg (dry weight), respectively, in untreated biosolids and at concentrations of 258.1, 3.4, 4.3, and 15.4 microg/kg (dry weight), respectively, in treated biosolids. However, CBZ-EP and CBZ-100H were not detected in any of the biosolid samples. CBZ and its five metabolites were detected in all wastewater samples collected from four different stages of treatment. The results showed that 29% of the carbamazepine was removed from the aqueous phase during treatment in the WWTP, while the metabolites were not effectively removed. Concentrations of caffeine were reduced by 99.9% in the aqueous phase, which appeared to be due primarily to degradation. Caffeine was also detected at concentrations of 165.8 and 7.6 microg/kg (dry weight) in raw and treated biosolids, respectively. Because of differences in hydrophobicity, CBZ is the primary analyte in biosolids, while CBZ-DiOH is the primary analyte in the aqueous phase of the wastewater. A mass balance calculation showed that the majority of CBZ and its metabolites exist in the aqueous phase (i.e., wastewater), ratherthan in the biosolids, 78 g of CBZ and its metabolites enters the Peterborough WWTP daily, and 91 g is discharged from the WWTP daily in the combined suspended solids and aqueous phases of the wastewater. The calculated daily inputs into the WWTP are somewhat less than the inputs of 192 g estimated from Canadian annual sales data for CBZ.     

退浆废水中聚乙烯醇的膜蒸馏-超滤二级膜浓缩

为提高印染工业退浆废水中浆料的回收利用率,采用膜蒸馏超滤二级膜浓缩工艺对配制的模拟退浆废水进行二级膜浓缩,考察了膜蒸馏与超滤浓缩工艺对退浆废水中聚乙烯醇的截留效果及浓缩效率。并在此基础上进行了堵塞模型的拟合,以扫描电子显微镜和接触角仪等表征技术为辅助,探索了超滤浓缩中的膜堵塞机制。结果表明：膜蒸馏段选用0.22 μm 聚四氟乙烯（PTFE）微滤膜,热侧温度70 ℃、流速0.34 m/s,冷侧温度20 ℃、流速0.25 m/s为较优工况;超滤段膜污染符合完全堵塞模型,膜孔径的大小是膜污染的决定性因素,选用切割分子量为10 万的PVDF 超滤膜,压力0.4 MPa,温度70 ℃为较优工况;工艺组合后对退浆废水的化学需氧量（CODCr）去除率可达95%以上,浓缩率达7倍以上,有利于进一步实现聚乙烯醇浆料的资源化利用。     

Fate of surfactants in membrane bioreactors and conventional activated sludge plants

Two membrane bioreactors (MBRs) were operated at high sludge retention time (SRT) (between 30 and 75 d) in parallel to a conventional activated sludge plant (CASP) conducted at SRT = 10 d. The fate of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP(n)EO, n = 1-15), nonylphenoxy carboxylates (NP(n)EC, n = 1-2), and nonylphenol (NP) in these systems was investigated. All systems were very efficient in the removal of LAS (around 99%). The analysis of variance showed that the difference in the removal efficiency of LAS in the CASP and the MBR operated at SRT = 65-75 d (respectively 99.0 ± 0.43 and 99.8 ± 0.11) were significant (p < 0.05), confirming the importance of SRT in the removal of LAS. Comparison between the CASP and the MBRs in the removal efficiency of nonylphenolic compounds were conducted considering NP(3-15)EO, the sum of NP(1-15)EO, NP(1-2)EC, and nonylphenol (NP). In all cases MBRs were more efficient than the CASP. In the case of NP the removal was about 76 ± 7.5% for the CASP and 90% ± 12.1 and 82 ± 8.7% for the MBRs. Better performance of MBRs in the removal of nonylphenolic compounds can be attributed to a better degradation. For example, if the sum of NP(1-15)EO and NP(1-2)EC is considered, estimated biodegradation was about 48% for the CASP and 72% for MBRs.     

陶瓷膜过滤谷氨酸发酵液过程中的膜污染与对策

用陶瓷膜过滤谷氨酸发酵液以除去3其中的细菌等悬浮物具有很好的应用前景，但陶瓷膜的污染是一个必须解决的关系问题，现场的实验发现，膜污染与发酵液的性质有很大关系，也与过滤过程的操作和膜清洗紧密相关，在研究这种关系的基础上，有效地解决了膜污染问题，使陶瓷膜过滤谷氨酸发酵液的操作可以满足工业应用的要求。