UV and bacteriophages treatment: chemicals-free approach to reduce fouling in anaerobic membrane bioreactors

Abstract

In this study the effect of a cocktail of 3 isolated Acinetobacter spp. bacteriophages in combination with UV exposure was analyzed for their ability to reduce anaerobic membrane biofouling in terms of biofilm dispersion and morphology alteration. This effect was compared with single applications of the two treatments at different membrane biofouling rate to investigate the influence of UV irradiation on the bacteriophages infection. The mixed treatment was then further compared with the common membrane cleaning technique, based on a mix of chemicals, to examine its effective applicability to reduce AnMBR biofouling.