Evaluation of combined anaerobic membrane bioreactor and downflow hanging sponge reactor for treatment of synthetic textile wastewater

Various toxic chemicals in textile wastewater can cause serious problems for the ecosystem and human health if it is discharged without proper treatment. In this study, the performance of textile wastewater treatment using an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) combined with a downflow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor is evaluated. An AnMBR with a working volume of 5 L and a third-generation DHS with a working volume of 0.5 L is used to treat synthetic textile wastewater containing Reactive Black 5 azo dye. The experiment is performed under ambient conditions using AnMBR hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12 and 24 h, DHS HRTs of 1.4 and 2.8 h, and membrane fluxes of 2.65 and 5.21 LMH. The AnMBR-DHS combination significantly reduces the biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and color of the synthetic textile wastewater by approximately 97.3 +/- 1.8%, 94.4 +/- 4.8%, and 95.0 +/- 1.6%, respectively. Most of the reduction occurs in the AnMBR. The HRT and membrane flux do not significantly affect the performance of the AnMBR-DHS system. The microbial community in the AnMBR is dominated by the phyla Euryarchaeota, Caldiserica, and Proteobacteria, whereas that in the DHS is dominated by Proteobacteria. Some of the genera found in the AnMBR can reportedly reduce azo dyes, whereas some of those found in the DHS can reportedly degrade sulfonated aromatic amines.