Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactors Research Information Page
Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactors
High retention Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactors (FOMBRs) are under development to treat municipal and industrial wastewater and recover valuable resources such as water and energy. We are investigating the use of novel draw solutions such as polyelectrolytes and high permeability membranes, and the interaction between fouling mitigation and system design and operation. The FOMBR system is being integrated with membrane distillation, including automated control, to facilitate water recovery and reuse during long-term operation.
Publications
Fozia Parveen and Nick Hankins: “Integration of Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactor (FO-MBR) and Membrane Distillation (MD) Units for Water Reclamation and Regeneration of Draw Solutions”, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2021, 41, 102045. doi:10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.102045.
Muhammad Saqib Nawaz, Fozia Parveen, Sher Jamal Khan and Nicholas P Hankins: “Impact of Osmotic Backwashing, Particle Size Distribution and Feed-Side Cross-flow Velocity on Flux in the Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactor (FO-MBR)”, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2019, 31, 100861.
Fozia Parveen and Nick Hankins: “Comparative Performance of Nanofiltration and Forward Osmosis Membranes in a Lab-Scale Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactor”, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2019, 28, 1-9.
Linnet Zohrabian, Nicholas P. Hankins, Robert W. Field: “Hybrid Forward Osmosis-Membrane Distillation System: Demonstration of Technical Feasibility”, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2019, 101042. doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2019.
Sher Jamal Khan, Nicholas P. Hankins and Li-Cheng Shen: “Submerged and Attached Growth Membrane Bioreactors and Forward Osmosis Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater Treatment”, in “Emerging Membrane Technology for Sustainable Water Treatment”, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2016, pp.277-296.