An anaerobic baffled reactor/membrane bioreactor (ABR/MBR) for on-site sanitation in low income areas

The paper presents the applicability of a membrane coupled anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) for low-cost, waterborne sanitation to those communities with limited access to basic sanitation and are inappropriate for on-site, dry sanitation systems. This represents a challenge as anaerobic MBRs must be operated without aeration. Consequently fluxes in anaerobic systems will be considerably lower than in aerobic systems, and fouling characteristics and hence operating requirements will be different to aerobic MBR. To evaluate the interaction between membranes and the conditions, a standardized test cell technique was used.