Water quality assessment of groundwater treated with a membrane biofilm reactor

Other than data on the targeted oxidized compounds nitrate and perchlorate, there is limited information on how water quality parameters are affected by membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) treatment. In order to assess challenges for MBfR field application, the authors investigated the nontargeted oxidized compounds sulfate and chlorate, the hydrogen (H₂) concentration in the effluent, possible undesired reduction products when H₂ is an electron donor, changes in dissolved organic carbon and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon, and the interactions among pH, alkalinity, hardness, and calcium carbonate precipitation. Results indicated that either these parameters presented no problems or problems could be easily prevented. Removal of oxidized contaminants-particularly nitrate and perchlorate-is one of the industry's biggest emerging challenges. Biological reduction using an MBfR offers a simple means of reliably and cost-effectively achieving this goal. This study demonstrated that water providers should be able to apply MBfR treatment for removing oxidized contaminants without introducing other water quality problems.-MPM.