CHAPTER 8: Challenges in Designing and Operation of a Bioreactor for Treatment of Wastewater

Industrial development across the globe has resulted in the contamination of groundwater, soils, and surface water with hazardous wastes and chemicals. It has become one of the key problems that needs to be resolved through globally approved research. The availability of pure and clean water to sustain human needs is considered one of the biggest challenges of this century. An enormous amount of resources, energy and capital is being disbursed worldwide for the treatment of enormous amounts of wastewater. Therefore, cost-effective treatments are needed for sustainable remediation of wastewater using a natural approach. Bioremediation is one biological approach that makes use of membrane bioreactors to satisfy the immediate environmental needs. Designing a bioreactor in which biological reactions can take place is one of the major challenges. The current chapter highlights the foremost challenges involved in designing and operating a bioreactor for wastewater treatment.