Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) offer promising solution for wastewater treatment and reuse to address the problem of water scarcity. Nevertheless, this technology is still facing challenges associated with membrane biofouling. This phenomenon has been mainly investigated in lab-scale MBRs with little or no insight on biofouling in full-scale MBR plants. Furthermore, the temporal dynamics of biofouling microbial communities and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are less studied. Herein, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted to address the above knowledge gaps in lab- and full-scale MBRs. In the full-scale MBR study, 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing with multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the early and mature biofilm communities from five full-scale MBRs differed significantly from the source community (i.e. activated sludge), and random immigration of species from the source community was unlikely to shape the community structure of biofilms. Also, a core biofouling community was shared between the five MBR plants sampled despite differences in their operating conditions. In the lab-scale MBR studies, temporal dynamics of microbial communities and their EPS products were monitored on different hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes during 30 days. At the early stages of filtration (1 d), the same early colonizers belonging to the class Betaproteobacteria were identified on all the membranes. However, their relative abundance decreased on day 20 and 30, and sequence reads belonging to the phylum Firmicutes and Chlorobi became dominant on all the membranes on day 20 and 30. In addition, the intrinsic membrane characteristic did not select any specific EPS fractions at the initial stages of filtration and the same EPS foulants developed with time on the hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes. Our results indicated that the membrane surface characteristics did not select for specific biofouling communities or EPS foulants, and the same early colonizers were selected from the source community (i.e. activated sludge), and then went through significant changes to form a mature biofilm. Our findings from these studies could support future research aimed at developing enhanced biological-based strategies to control biofouling in MBRs.

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), they have gained much interest in many science and engineering fields. The modification of CNTs by introducing different functional groups to their surface is important for CNTs to be tailored to fit the need of specific applications. This dissertation presents several CNT-based systems that can provide biomedical and environmental advantages. In this research, polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were used to coat CNTs through hydrogen bonding. The release of doxorubicin (DOX, an anticancer drug) from this system was controlled by temperature. This system represents a promising method for incorporating stimuli triggered polymer-gated CNTs in controlled release applications. To create an acid responsive system CNTs were coated with 1,2-Distearoyl-snglycero- 3-Phosphoethanolamine-N-[Amino(Polyethylene glycol)2000]-(PE-PEG) and Poly(acrylic acid) modified dioleoy lphosphatidyl-ethanolamine (PE-PAA). An acidlabile linker was used to cross-link PAA, forming ALP@CNTs, thus making the system acid sensitive. The release of DOX from ALP@CNTs was found to be higher in an acidic environment. Moreover, near infrared (NIR) light was used to enhance the release of DOX from ALP@CNTs. A CNT-based membrane with controlled diffusion was prepared in the next study. CNTs were used as a component of a cellulose/gel membrane due to their optical property, which allows them to convert NIR light into heat. Poly(Nisopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) was used due to its thermo-sensitivity. The properties of both the CNTs and PNIPAm’s were used to control the diffusion of the cargo from the system, under the influence of NIR. CNTs were also used to fabricate an antibacterial agent, for which they were coated with polydopamine (PDA) and decorated with silver particles (Ag). Galactose (Gal) terminated with thiol groups conjugated with the above system was used to strengthen the bacterial targeting ability. The antibacterial activity of Ag/Gal@PDA@CNTs was examined on Escherichia coli. NIR was used to enhance the antibacterial activity of Ag/Gal@PDA@CNTs. Finally, CNTs were used as a support for methyl orange (MO) and palladium catalysts (Pd). MO was used due to its ability to enhance the catalyst activity. Pd@CNTs composites were used to test the reduction rate of nitrite with and without the addition MO. The results showed that over repeated cycles of nitrite reduction, the activity enhancement was lost. In summary, CNTs are promising building blocks for preparation of smart and stimuli responsive systems that have potential for a wide range of applications. The methods presented are simple and can be scaled up for industrial processing purposes.