Removal of Di-2-Ethyl Hexyl Phthalates by Membrane Bioreactor

A lab scale membrane bioreactor system was built to investigate the removal of Di-2-Ethyl Hexyl Phthalates (DEHP) in wastewater under variation of three runs: two hydraulic retention time (HRT) 24 and 36 hours in addition to two biomass: concentrated and light sludge. Solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was applied to quantitatively identify DEHP in wastewater samples. Membrane bioreactor was built and operated to investigate DEHP removal. Higher HRT removed DEHP more efficiently than lower HRT. The concentrated MLSS could achieve higher removal efficiency than the lighter MLSS at the same HRT value. The performance of MBR in removing DEHP, TOC and COD from wastewater with a maximum removal efficiency were 29%, 85%, and 98%, respectively. Mass balance of DEHP in the system indicated that a majority was removed by adsorption process rather than filtration or microbiological process.