Osmosis Membrane Bioreactor for the Removal of 3-Chloroaniline

3-Chloroaniline is toxic compound which can be found in wastewater from various manufacturing processes such as production of polyurethanes, rubber, azo dyes... 3-Chloroaniline which is often transiently detected in wastewater at concentrations ranging from 12 to 230 mg/L has adverse effects on human health in terms of toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation. Various methods are in place for removal of this recalcitrant compound, among which biodegradation is regarded as an environmentally friendly and cost effective treatment. However, pure culture which effectively degrades this toxic compound usually fails to perform in activated sludge bioreactors due to inhibitors in the wastewater and/or competition by activated sludge microorganisms.

In this project, a bioreactor integrating Activated Sludge with Forward Osmosis Membrane is proposed to treat wastewater with 3-chloroaniline. In this system, activated sludge bioaugmentated with immobilized-cells of Comomonas testosterone in hollow fiber membrane to facilitate degrading 3-choloroaniline, and Forward Osmosis Membrane is used for water recovery. Sea water is used as draw solute in FO system. Proof-of-concept is a major focus of this project, followed by optimization of the operating conditions.