Troubleshooting Foaming in Membrane Bioreactor: Review of Foam Analysis, Causes and Remedies 
Gayatri Gawande1, Rucha Dandekar2, Omparv Channa3, Harshali Birari4
1Gayatri Gawande, Chemical Engineering Department, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, India.
2Rucha Dandekar*, Chemical Engineering Department, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, India.
3Omparv Channa, Chemical Engineering Department, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, India.
4Harshali Birari, Chemical Engineering Department, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, India.
Manuscript received on January 10, 2021. | Revised Manuscript received on January 20, 2021. | Manuscript published on January 30, 2021. | PP: 154-170 | Volume-10 Issue-4, November 2021. | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijrte.D65911110421 | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.D6591.1110421
Open Access | Ethics and Policies | Cite | Mendeley
© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Membrane Bioreactors have proved to be a useful alternative to conventional activated sludge systems for wastewater treatment. Merits of membrane bioreactors include more compact design saving a significant amount of space and lower sludge production due to longer sludge retention time. This system unfortunately has a downside with it comes to excessive foaming. Membrane bioreactors often act as foam traps leading to overflowing, wastage of sludge and difficulty in process control. Pre-Treatment of wastewater has proven to significantly reduce foaming caused by surfactants. Generally, physical methods are considered more economical and operationally convenient compared to conventional techniques including chemical treatment and advanced techniques like biological treatment. Polyaluminium chloride as a coagulant is recommended as a chemical treatment due to economic and effectiveness considerations. It has been concluded that the remedies for foaming issue are case specific and should be determined by the causes of foaming. This paper aims at reviewing techniques to analyse the foaming phenomenon, causes of foaming and its remedies to manage or eliminate foam.
Keywords: Membrane Bioreactor, Wastewater; Excessive Foaming; Surfactants.