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Review
. 2024 Feb 5;16(3):443.
doi: 10.3390/polym16030443.

Wastewater Treatment Using Membrane Bioreactor Technologies: Removal of Phenolic Contaminants from Oil and Coal Refineries and Pharmaceutical Industries

Mohd Jahir Khan  1 , Agung Wibowo  1 , Zoheb Karim  2 , Pattaraporn Posoknistakul  1 , Babasaheb M Matsagar  3 , Kevin C-W Wu  3   4 , Chularat Sakdaronnarong  1
Affiliations
Review

Wastewater Treatment Using Membrane Bioreactor Technologies: Removal of Phenolic Contaminants from Oil and Coal Refineries and Pharmaceutical Industries

Mohd Jahir Khan et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Huge amounts of noxious chemicals from coal and petrochemical refineries and pharmaceutical industries are released into water bodies. These chemicals are highly toxic and cause adverse effects on both aquatic and terrestrial life. The removal of hazardous contaminants from industrial effluents is expensive and environmentally driven. The majority of the technologies applied nowadays for the removal of phenols and other contaminants are based on physio-chemical processes such as solvent extraction, chemical precipitation, and adsorption. The removal efficiency of toxic chemicals, especially phenols, is low with these technologies when the concentrations are very low. Furthermore, the major drawbacks of these technologies are the high operation costs and inadequate selectivity. To overcome these limitations, researchers are applying biological and membrane technologies together, which are gaining more attention because of their ease of use, high selectivity, and effectiveness. In the present review, the microbial degradation of phenolics in combination with intensified membrane bioreactors (MBRs) has been discussed. Important factors, including the origin and mode of phenols' biodegradation as well as the characteristics of the membrane bioreactors for the optimal removal of phenolic contaminants from industrial effluents are considered. The modifications of MBRs for the removal of phenols from various wastewater sources have also been addressed in this review article. The economic analysis on the cost and benefits of MBR technology compared with conventional wastewater treatments is discussed extensively.

Keywords: contaminants removal; human health; industrial effluents; membrane bioreactor; phenolics; sustainability; wastewater treatment; water pollution.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Zoheb Karim was employed by the company MoRe Research Örnsköldsvik AB. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ortho and meta pathways of aerobic biodegradation of phenol and its derivatives in microorganisms [116]. Copyright 2016, Elsevier. Note: Texts with black color are degrading substances and those with blue colors are enzymes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Anaerobic biodegradation pathway of phenol and p-cresol in bacteria [117]. Copyright 2015, Elsevier. Phenyl phosphate synthase (PPS); p-cresol methyl hydroxylase (CMH); phenyl phosphate carboxylase (PPC); aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH); 4-hydroxybenzoate-CoA ligase (HBCL); and 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA reductase (HBCR). Note: Texts with black color are degrading substances and those with blue colors are enzymes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
An integrated (internal) MBR system [134]. Copyright 2018, Elsevier.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A recirculated (external) MBR system [134]. Copyright 2018, Elsevier.
Figure 5
Figure 5
A single-fiber immobilized cell, capillary membrane bioreactor system [177]. Copyright 2006, Elsevier.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) EMBR and (b) principle of EMBR adopted from [180]. Copyright 2020, Elsevier.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Flow diagram of an HFMBR system [184]. Copyright 2021, Elsevier.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Flow diagram of a MBBR [165]. Copyright 2014, Springer Nature.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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