Effects of Antibiotics on Biological Fouling in Membrane Bioreactors

Abstract

Forward osmosis (FO) has recently been demonstrated as a favorable choice for wastewater treatment in comparison to reverse osmosis because of its improved energy efficiency and subsequent economic advantages. One of the current drawbacks of any membrane process is the potential for biological fouling on the membrane surface from bacteria and other microorganisms in the wastewater. The objective of this research is to explore the effect of adding antibiotics to the FO draw solution to minimize biofouling. The goal is to have a low reverse flux of the antibiotic that creates a non-ideal environment for the bacteria at the membrane surface to prevent them from producing a biofilm.