Recent Trends in Membrane Bioreactors

Use of a membrane within a bioreactor (MBR), either microbial or enzymatic, is a technology that has existed for 30 years to increase process productivity and/or facilitate the recovery and the purification of biomolecules. Currently, this technology is attracting increasing interest in speeding up the process and in better sustainability. In this work, we present the current status of MBR technologies. Fundamental aspects and process design are outlined and emerging applications are identified in both aspects of engineering, i.e., enzymatic and microorganism (bacteria, animal cells, and microalgae), including microscale aspects and wastewater treatment. Comparison of this integrated technology with classical batch or continuous bioreactors is made to highlight the performance of MBRs and identify factors limiting their performance and the different possibilities for their optimization.