This study compares wastewater treatment at a Spanish winery using a membrane bioreactor (MBR) pilot plant and a full-scale conventional activated sludge system.
Here Spanish researchers carried out a comparative study in order to evaluate the winery wastewater treatment by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) pilot plant, and compare it to a full-scale conventional activated sludge system.
The MBR pilot plant was constructed and operated by Hera-Amasa, and continuously fed with real winery wastewater generated in wine-making process in Miguel Torres SA facilities in Catalonia, Spain.
The influent and effluents were monitored and controlled in order to reach the quality determined by Spanish legislation, as well as international guidelines and regulations for wastewater reuse and reclamation.
After six months of continuous operation, the physico-chemical and microbial parameters of the MBR plant achieved the specifications defined for urban service, agricultural, and recreational uses.
The MBR plant showed quite stable and flexible operation during the experiment.
A significant correlation between extracellular polymeric substances with carbohydrates (EPSc) and permeability confirmed the influence of the hydrophilic fraction on the membrane fouling potential.
