International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—Effective application of dielectrophoretic forces in membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems has the potential to suppress membrane fouling. Nevertheless, minimizing the impact of the electric field on biomass suspension is essential to maintain the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process. In this study, interdigitated cylindrical electrodes (IDE), placed inside the membrane module, were used to generate dielectrophoresis (DEP) in an MBR system. The viability of the biomass was determined at different voltages (5-150 V) after 1-hour exposure to a pulsed alternating current (AC) electric field. The results of the behavioral response of the microorganisms revealed that at low voltage applications, the bacteria exhibited good performance and no major impact was found on their viability/metabolism. Whereas at high voltage applications (beyond 100 V), the current intensity and medium temperature increased due to the joule heating effect and caused a significant decline in the bacterial activity and pollutant removal efficiency as a result of bacterial lysis.

Index Terms—Bacterial lysis, dielectrophoresis, interdigitated cylindrical electrodes, microorganisms, membrane bioreactor.

B. Larbi, A. Ltaief, and A. Hawari are with the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar (e-mail: bouthaina.larbi@qu.edu.qa, amina.ltaeif@qu.edu.qa, a.hawari@qu.edu.qa).
F. Du, M. Baune, and J. Thöming are with Center for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technology, University of Bremen, Leobener Str., D 28359 Bremen, Germany (e-mail: fei.du@uni-bremen.de, m.baune@uni-bremen.de, thoming@uni-bremen.de).

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Cite: B. Larbi, A. Ltaief, A. Hawari, F. Du, M. Baune, and J. Thöming, "Assessment of the Effect of Dielectrophoresis (DEP) on the Viability of Activated Sludge Biomass," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 715-718, 2017.