The Study of Organic Removal Efficiency and Membrane Fouling in a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor Treating Vegetable Oil Wastewater

The characterizations of vegetable oil wastewater (VOW) are unpleasant odor, dark color, and high organic contents, including large amounts of oil and grease (O&G), chemical oxygen demand (COD), fatty acids and lipids. Therefore, VOWs should be treated efficiently to avoid the environmental pollution. The aim of the present study was the investigation of VOW biological treatment using membrane bioreactor (MBR) in terms of organic pollutant removal performance and membrane fouling. During 30 days MBR operation at hydraulic retention time and solid retention time of 48 h and 20 days, respectively, there was a consistently low turbidity (