Advancing Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors for Low Temperature Domestic Wastewater Treatment

Climate change and associated co-occurrences of increasing water demands and diminishing water supplies have elevated water scarcity concerns from the local to the global level. Advanced water treatment needs to be expanded to allow for water reuse and combat water scarcity. However, the water treatment sector alone already accounts for 3% of total energy consumed in the U.S. and, as such, substantially contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and thus climate change. This dissertation project aims to support the development of novel domestic wastewater treatment systems capable of producing energy instead of consuming it, while achieving excellent effluent quality to allow for water reuse for irrigation or even drinking water production (with additional treatment). By integrating operational, microbial, and life cycle information to guide engineering design, this dissertation research will support the development and subsequent implementation of creative and sustainable approaches to wastewater treatment.