Winery wastewater treatment for water reuse purpose: Conventional activated sludge versus membrane bioreactor (MBR) A comparative case study

A comparative study was carried out in order to evaluate the winery wastewater treatment by a MBR pilot plant and compare it to a full-scale conventional activated sludge system. The MBR pilot plant was constructed and operated by Hera-Amasa and continuously fed with real winery wastewater generated in wine-making process in Bodegas Torres facilities (Catalonia, Spain). The influent and effluents were monitored and controlled in order to reach the quality determined by the Spanish legislation as well as the international guidelines and regulations for wastewater reuse and reclamation. After 6 months of continuous operations the physico-chemical and microbial parameters of the MBR plant achieved the specifications defined for urban service, agricultural and recreational uses. The MBR plant showed a quite stable and flexible operation during the experiment. A significant correlation between EPSc and permeability confirmed the influence of the hydrophilic fraction on the membrane fouling potential. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.