Improvement of anti-biofouling properties of hollow fiber membranes with bismuth-BAL chelates (BisBAL)

In this study, hollow fiber membranes with and without bismuth dimercaptopropanol (Bis-BAL) additive were fabricated. Membranes were characterized in terms of permeability, surface properties, anti-biofouling and antibacterial properties. Membranes were operated in a lab-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR). During the MBR operation, flux, chemical oxygen demand, volatile suspended solids and suspended solids were calculated for 30 days. Results showed that extracellular polymeric substance and soluble microbial product amounts were decreased in BisBAL-containing membranes. BisBAL-added membranes had the ability to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli. BisBAL as an additive for membranes was found to be an effective, cheap alternative for enhancing anti-biofouling properties of the membranes.