A long term domestic wastewater treatment experiment was conducted using a recirculating ceramic ultra filtration membrane bioreactor (CUFMB) system. Three experiments were run with a hydraulic retention time of 5h, sludge retention times of 5d, 15d, and 30d and a membrane surface flow rate of 4m/s. The experiment studied the membrane fouling mechanism and cleaning techniques. The results show that a CUFMB system can provide continuous good quality effluent which is completely acceptable for reuse. The system is also not affected by fluctuations of the inlet flow. The CUFMB sludge loading rate is similar to that of conventional biological treatment units. However, the volumetric loading rate of the CUFMB is 24 times that of conventional biological treatment units. Membrane fouling occurs due to channel clogging, which could be easily removed, and surface fouling, which can be effectively removed using the method described in this work which includes water rinsing, base cleaning, and acid washing.
