Application of membrane bioreactor technology for wastewater treatment and reuse in the Mediterranean region: Focusing on removal efficiency of non-conventional pollutants

The Mediterranean Region is a semi-arid area whose land is facing serious erosion, causing adverse impacts on agriculture. To improve the water availability, researchers have proposed the reclamation and reuse of treated wastewater. In this paper, we report the main findings of 10 years of research on the efficiencies of a conventional activated sludge process and a submerged membrane bioreactor, with particular emphasis on the removal of non-conventional pollutants. The studies showed that the membrane bioreactor produced a virtually solids-free, high-quality permeate: most nutrients, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants were removed, and in particular, dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls were typically present at concentrations below the detection limit. Moreover, the total coliforms count decreased by 4–5 log and Escherichia coli was absent from the membrane bioreactor permeate. These results, combined with the continuing reduction of the capital and operating costs for this approach, suggest that membrane bioreactors are an increasingly cost-effective technology to produce treated effluents that are suitable for reuse.     

Case study of landfill reclamation at a Florida landfill site

A landfill reclamation project was considered to recover landfill airspace and soil, reduce future groundwater impacts by removing the waste buried in the unlined area, and optimize airspace use at the site. A phased approach was utilized to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of the reclamation project; based on the results of these evaluations, approximately 6.8 ha of the unlined cells were reclaimed. Approximately 371,000 in-place cubic meters of waste was mined from 6.8 ha in this project. Approximately 230,600 cubic meters of net airspace was recovered due to beneficial use of the recovered final cover soil and reclaimed soil as intermediate and daily cover soil, respectively, for the current landfill operations. This paper presents the researchers’ landfill reclamation project experience, including a summary of activities pertaining to reclamation operations, an estimation of reclamation rates achieved during the project, project costs and benefits, and estimated composition of the reclaimed materials.     

Future energy: in search of a scenario reflecting current and future pressures and trends

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - Growing societal pressures, technological trends and government and industry actions are moving the world toward decarbonization and away from the...