The MBR technology for treatment of oily wastewater: Application feasibility in Vietnam

Abstract

Oily wastewater generated from many popular activities such as crude oil exploitation, oil refining, metal processing, washing mechanized vehicles, etc., is one of the sources of serious environmental pollution. Treatment of oily wastewater using the activated sludge process only is not really effective due to its toxic and refractory characteristics. Recently, membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology has been widely applied in treating various kind of industrial wastewater and promises to be a potential solution. In this paper, the feasibility of applying the MBR technology to treat oily wastewater has been analysed. The discussions are mainly focused on the operational characteristics, fouling characteristics, fouling control strategies, and costs of the MBR technology in the treatment of these types of wastewater. It is expected to provide useful information for researchers and engineers in development of this novel technology in Vietnam, especially to treat oily wastewater.