Treatment of Winery Wastewater with PEG-600/PVDF Mixed Matrix Membranes Using Submerged Membrane Bioreactor and Process Optimization by Box–Behnken Design

In the present study, the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane is modified by incorporating polyethylene glycol-600 Da (PEG-600) for the treatment of winery wastewater using a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR). For the prepared membranes, variation in the chemical bonds, hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, thermal resistance, and macrostructure is studied using attenuate total reflectance—Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer, contact angle, tensile strength, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. It is observed from MBR results that a higher flux is obtained for PVDF/PEG-600 membrane than pure PVDF membrane. In the present investigation, response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box–Behnken design (BBD) matrix is used to optimize the MBR system and to evaluate the behavior of the factors. The aeration rate, pH, and temperature are selected as process parameters to obtain maximum removal of COD, BOD 5 , TKN, and TP as the responses. The BBD model’s optimization and reliability with response surface are also studied. The economic analysis with respect to cost analysis is studied for the MBR system. PEG-600 is a highly efficient and potential pore-forming agent used in PVDF membrane to improve membrane hydrophilicity and ultimately reduce the pollutant concentration in water. The following experimental conditions provided the highest removal efficiency: aeration rate of 84 L/min, pH of 8.53, and temperature of 33 °C. The pollutant removal efficiency is observed in terms of COD, BOD 5 , TKN, and TP and are reported to be 95.33%, 96.18%, 94.10%, and 94.95%, respectively. The BBD model with RSM provided the best approach for the treatment of winery wastewater using the MBR system. Article Highlights A submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) system is used to remove pollutants from winery wastewater. Response surface methodology (RSM) is used to assess the impact of operating parameters on the selected pollutants removal efficiency by MBR. The Box–Behnken design is tested to optimize the operating parameters of MBR. The proposed RSM and BBD model are validated for their reliability. Graphical abstract