Mechanisms of action of particles used for fouling mitigation in membrane bioreactors.

Adding chemicals to the biofluid is an option to mitigate membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors. In particular, previous studies have shown that the addition of particles could enhance activated sludge filterability. Nevertheless, the mechanisms responsible for the improved filtration performance when particles are added are still unclear. Two main mechanisms might occur: soluble organic matter adsorption onto the particles and/or cake structure modification. To date, no studies have clearly dissociated the impact of these two phenomena as a method was needed for the in-line characterization of the cake structure during filtration. The objective of this study was thus to apply, for the first time, an optical method for in-situ, non-invasive, characterization of cake structure during filtration of a real biofluid in presence of particles. This method was firstly used to study local cake compressibility during the biofluid filtration. It was found that the first layers of the cake were incompressible whereas the cake appeared to be compressible at global scale. This questions the global scale analysis generally used to study cake compressibility and highlights the interest of coupling local characterization with overall process performance analysis. Secondly, the impact of adding submicronic melamine particles into the biofluid was studied. It appears that particles added into the biofluid strongly influence the cake properties, making it thicker and more permeable. Furthermore, by using liquid chromatography with an organic carbon detector to determine the detailed characteristics of the feed and permeate, it was shown that the modification of cake structure also affected the retention of soluble organic compounds by the membrane and thus the cake composition. Simultaneous use of a method for in-situ characterization of the cake structure with a detailed analysis of the fluid composition and monitoring of the global performance is thus a powerful method for evaluating cake structure and composition and their impact on global process performance. The use of this methodology should allow "cake engineering" to be developed so that cake properties (structure, composition) can be controlled and process performance optimized.

A new biosynthetic tracer for the inline measurement of virus retention in membrane processes: part I--Synthesis protocol.

In this study, a new biosynthetic tracer was developed to characterize the virus retention dynamics of membrane systems. This new tracer is a modified bacteriophage obtained by the grafting of enzymatic probes to an MS2 bacteriophage, one of the smallest non-pathogenic bacteria viruses, with an average diameter of about 30 nm. A protocol for the synthesis and purification of this new tracer was developed in this work. The production of this biosynthetic tracer was first qualitatively shown by a chromatographic characterization and an enzymatic test. The average number of probes grafted per phage was then quantified for three batches of tracers made from the same native phage suspension and the same batch of enzymatic probes. This quantification demonstrated the reproducibility of the synthesis protocol developed.

A new biosynthetic tracer for the inline measurement of virus retention in membrane processes: part II. Biochemical and physicochemical characterizations of the new tracer.

In a previous work, a reproducible procedure to produce a new biosynthetic tracer was developed. This new tracer is an MS2 bacteriophage with enzymatic probes grafted on its surface, which can induce enzymatic activity of the tracer. In this paper, the biochemical and physicochemical characteristics of this new tracer are determined. A protocol was developed to determine the specific enzymatic activity kcat(TRACER) of the tracer, which was found to be 2.93±0.78×10(4) min(-1) on average. Physicochemical characterizations of this new tracer showed that it is representative of viruses and may thus be used as a virus surrogate to assess the virus retention of membrane systems inline. Notably, the mean diameter and molecular weight of the tracer were found to be respectively 64.1±0.3 nm and 12,140±3654 kDa, which are within the size and molecular weight ranges of pathogenic viruses carried by water. The tracer surface was also studied and revealed the considerable porosity of the grafted probe layer, with a mean porosity of 88%, which could explain why the zeta potential of the tracers (-14.34±1.66 mV) was nearly the same as that of the native MS2 phages. Finally, a comparison between filtration of the reference microorganism used for membrane performance assessment (the MS2 phage) and the tracer suspensions showed the same filtration behaviour.

Fouling and its reversibility in relation to flow properties and module design in aerated hollow fibre modules for membrane bioreactors.

Nowadays, most membrane bioreactors are using membranes submerged in the biomass and aeration in the concentrate compartment to limit or to control fouling. An important issue for the design of modules or membrane bundles in MBRs is to understand how the air/liquid flow is behaving and influencing fouling and its reversibility in relationship to the module properties. This paper focuses on an innovative and very specific process, in which HF membranes are put in a cartridge outside the activated sludge tank and a recycling loop is associated to the cartridge in order to decrease concentration of foulant species at the membrane surface and mass transfer resistance. Recycling operates with a very low liquid velocity in the module (a few cm.s(-1)) which constitutes a specificity of this process in terms of filtration operation. The aim of this study is to characterise two-phase flow and its effects on fouling and fouling reversibility at the scale of a semi-industrial bundle of outside/in hollow fibres, and as a function of bundle properties (packing density, fibre diameter), using specific methods to characterise the flow and fouling effects. Two modules were used showing a different packing density. Filtration was operated at constant permeate flux with clay suspension at 0.65 g.l(-1) in the same hydrodynamic conditions. Fouling kinetics and irreversibility were characterised by an adapted step method, and gas and liquid flows were characterised at global scale by residence time distribution analyses and gas hold-up. Fouling velocities are clearly influenced by gas velocity. The proportion of dead to total volume in the module is mainly affected by the liquid flow velocity and module design. The module with the higher fibre diameter and the lower packing density showed better performances in terms of fouling which was correlated with better flow properties.

What do family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients desire in smart home technologies? Contrasted results of a wide survey.

OBJECTIVES: The authors' aim was to investigate the representations, wishes, and fears of family caregivers (FCs) regarding 14 innovative technologies (IT) for care aiding and burden alleviation, given the severe physical and psychological stress induced by dementia care, and the very slow uptake of these technologies in our society. METHODS: A cluster sample survey based on a self-administered questionnaire was carried out on data collected from 270 families of patients with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders, located in the greater Paris area. Multiple Correspondence Analysis was used in addition to usual statistical tests to identify homogenous FCs clusters concerning the appreciation or rejection of the considered technologies. RESULTS: Two opposite clusters were clearly defined: FCs in favor of a substantial use of technology, and those rather or totally hostile. Furthermore the distributions of almost all the answers of appreciations were U-shaped. Significant relations were demonstrated between IT appreciation and FC's family or gender statuses (e.g., female FCs appreciated a tracking device for quick recovering of wandering patients more than male FCs: p = 0.0025, N = 195). CONCLUSIONS: The study provides further evidence of the contrasted perception of technology in dementia care at home, and suggests the development of public debates based on rigorous assessment of practices and a strict ethical aim to protect against misuse.