JP7702275B2 - Treatment system, monitoring cell, and method for monitoring a treatment system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a treatment system for treating an organic substance-containing treatment target, and a monitoring cell provided in the treatment system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a treatment system for a membrane separation methane fermentation process that combines a methane fermentation process and a membrane separation process, and a monitoring cell provided in the treatment system.
The present invention also relates to a method for monitoring a treatment system for treating an object to be treated that contains organic matter. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for monitoring a treatment system for a membrane separation methane fermentation process that combines a methane fermentation process and a membrane separation process.

Biological treatment using anaerobic microorganisms is widely used as a technology for treating organic substances-containing materials such as organic wastewater and organic waste. In particular, methane fermentation treatment is attracting attention as a highly useful technology because it reduces the amount of materials to be treated and the methane produced can be used as energy.

In addition, solid-liquid separation is performed to separate and recover anaerobic microorganisms contained in the treated liquid after biological treatment (methane fermentation treatment), and the solids (concentrated liquid) containing a large amount of anaerobic microorganisms are then subjected to biological treatment again. Known solid-liquid separation processes for the treated liquid after biological treatment include centrifugation using a centrifuge, sedimentation using a settling tank, dehydration using a dehydrator, and membrane separation (membrane filtration), and the combination of membrane separation and methane fermentation (membrane separation methane fermentation process) is particularly well known.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a membrane separation methane fermentation treatment device equipped with a methane fermentation tank and a membrane filtration tank that separates filtrate from the liquid being treated in the methane fermentation tank, and describes that, as a means for preventing clogging of the filtration membrane, the device is provided with a heating means for heating the liquid being treated that is supplied to the membrane filtration tank to a temperature higher than the set temperature of the methane fermentation tank and a cleaning means for the filtration membrane provided in the membrane filtration tank.

JP 2016-203176 A

As described in Patent Document 1, the membrane separation methane fermentation process involves subjecting the treated liquid after methane fermentation to membrane separation. As a result, solids resulting from the methane fermentation process (methane fermentation sludge) adhere to the membrane surface or inside the membrane, causing blockages in the membrane separation (clogging of the filtration membrane), which in turn causes problems with reduced efficiency in the membrane separation.

Patent Document 1 describes a means for suppressing the occurrence of clogging in membrane separation, but it is difficult to completely suppress clogging itself in membrane separation while continuing the treatment.
In addition, in the membrane separation methane fermentation process, the treated liquid that has been subjected to the methane fermentation process is the target of membrane separation, and therefore the properties and amount of solids contained in the treated liquid that is the target of membrane separation are not always uniform.

For this reason, in a membrane separation methane fermentation treatment system, it is difficult to accurately determine the clogging state of the membrane module based only on the time spent in membrane separation treatment. Therefore, regular cleaning of the membrane module or membrane replacement does not adequately reflect the clogging state of the membrane module, and leads to unnecessary maintenance.
In addition, in a membrane separation methane fermentation treatment system, the properties of the solid matter adhering to the membrane module are not necessarily uniform, which makes it difficult to determine what type of maintenance is appropriate for the membrane module, such as whether to replace or clean the membrane and what the cleaning work should involve.

Therefore, in membrane separation methane fermentation processing, it is necessary to accurately grasp the state (actual state) of the membrane module in the processing environment in order to appropriately determine the frequency and content of maintenance work for the membrane module used in membrane separation. In addition, it is desirable to grasp the state of the membrane module in a way that does not affect the membrane separation processing by the membrane module.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a treatment system that performs methane fermentation treatment in a methane fermenter and membrane separation using a membrane module to treat a material containing organic matter, which allows monitoring of the state of the membrane module in the treatment environment without affecting the membrane separation treatment, and which allows the state of the membrane module to be easily and accurately grasped, as well as a monitoring cell provided in the treatment system and a method for monitoring the treatment system.

As a result of extensive research into the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have discovered that by providing a treatment system performing methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation with a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element forming a membrane module, and by providing a monitoring cell for monitoring from the permeate side of the membrane element, it is possible to monitor the state of the membrane module in the treatment environment without affecting the membrane separation treatment, and to easily and accurately grasp the state of the membrane module, and have completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention relates to the following processing system, a monitoring cell provided in this processing system, and a monitoring method for this processing system.

The treatment system of the present invention for solving the above problems is a treatment system for treating a treatment target containing organic substances, and is characterized in comprising a methane fermentation tank for subjecting the treatment target to methane fermentation treatment, a membrane module for subjecting the treatment liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank to membrane separation to obtain a concentrated liquid and a permeate, and a monitoring cell comprising a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module and for monitoring the state of the membrane element from the permeate side.
According to this treatment system, in a treatment system performing methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation, a monitoring cell equipped with a monitoring membrane (a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module) is provided in addition to the membrane module used in the membrane separation treatment, so that the membrane module and the monitoring membrane can be placed in the same treatment environment. As a result, monitoring of the monitoring membrane corresponds to monitoring of the membrane module in the treatment environment, so there is no need to directly monitor the membrane module itself. Therefore, monitoring can be performed without affecting the membrane separation treatment by the membrane module.
In addition, by monitoring from the permeate side of the monitoring membrane, the membrane surface, which is in an environment that is not in direct contact with the solid matter in the treatment liquid, becomes the object of monitoring. This makes it possible to capture changes in the membrane surface caused by clogging or deterioration of the membrane without being affected by the adhesion or accumulation of solid matter. Therefore, it becomes possible to grasp the condition of the membrane module simply and accurately.

In one embodiment of the treatment system of the present invention, the monitoring cell is characterized by comprising a monitoring means for monitoring a change in color of the surface of the membrane element.
In the membrane separation methane fermentation process, the treated liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank contains fine solid matter (methane fermentation sludge), which is generally colored. Therefore, as the membrane becomes clogged or deteriorates, the colored solid matter penetrates into the membrane, causing a change in the color of the membrane surface on the permeate side.
Therefore, by providing a monitoring means for monitoring the change in color of the surface of the membrane element as a monitoring membrane, as in this characteristic, it becomes possible to grasp the state of the membrane element simply and with high accuracy.

In one embodiment of the treatment system of the present invention, the monitoring cell is characterized by including a permeate discharge portion for discharging the permeate in the monitoring cell.
According to this feature, in cases where the permeated liquid itself becomes a disturbance in monitoring, such as when the permeated liquid is colored, it is possible to discharge the permeated liquid from the monitoring cell and monitor the membrane element as a monitoring membrane in a state in which the influence of disturbances is suppressed, thereby making it possible to grasp the state of the membrane element easily and with high accuracy.

The monitoring cell of the present invention for solving the above problems is a monitoring cell provided for a treatment system including a methane fermentation tank which performs methane fermentation treatment on a treatment target containing organic substances, and a membrane module which performs membrane separation on the treatment liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank to obtain a concentrated liquid and a permeate, and is characterized in that the monitoring cell includes a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element which forms the membrane module in the treatment system, and monitors the state of the membrane element from the permeate side.
According to this monitoring cell, a monitoring membrane (a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module) can be provided in a treatment system performing methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation, in addition to the membrane module used in the membrane separation treatment, and placed in the same treatment environment as the membrane module. As a result, monitoring of the monitoring membrane corresponds to monitoring of the membrane module in the treatment environment, and there is no need to directly monitor the membrane module itself. Therefore, monitoring can be performed without affecting the membrane separation treatment performed by the membrane module.
In addition, by monitoring from the permeate side of the monitoring membrane, the membrane surface, which is in an environment that is not in direct contact with the solid matter in the treatment liquid, becomes the object of monitoring. This makes it possible to capture changes in the membrane surface caused by clogging or deterioration of the membrane without being affected by the adhesion or accumulation of solid matter. Therefore, it becomes possible to grasp the condition of the membrane module simply and accurately.

In order to solve the above problems, the method for monitoring a treatment system of the present invention is a method for monitoring a treatment system comprising a methane fermentation tank for subjecting a treatment target containing organic substances to methane fermentation treatment, and a membrane module for performing membrane separation of the treatment liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank to obtain a concentrated liquid and a permeate, and is characterized in that it includes a monitoring step of providing a monitoring cell equipped with a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element that forms the membrane module in the treatment system, and monitoring the state of the membrane element from the permeate side via the monitoring cell.
According to this method for monitoring a treatment system, in a treatment system performing methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation, a monitoring cell equipped with a monitoring membrane (a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module) is provided in addition to the membrane module used in the membrane separation treatment, so that the membrane module and the monitoring membrane can be placed in the same treatment environment. As a result, monitoring of the monitoring membrane corresponds to monitoring of the membrane module in the treatment environment, and there is no need to directly monitor the membrane module itself. Therefore, monitoring can be performed without affecting the membrane separation treatment by the membrane module.
In addition, by monitoring from the permeate side of the monitoring membrane, the membrane surface, which is in an environment that is not in direct contact with the solid matter in the treatment liquid, becomes the object of monitoring. This makes it possible to capture changes in the membrane surface caused by clogging or deterioration of the membrane without being affected by the adhesion or accumulation of solid matter. Therefore, it becomes possible to grasp the condition of the membrane module simply and accurately.

According to the present invention, in a treatment system that performs methane fermentation treatment in a methane fermenter and membrane separation using a membrane module to treat a material containing organic substances, it is possible to provide a treatment system that allows monitoring of the state of the membrane module in the treatment environment without affecting the membrane separation treatment, and that allows the state of the membrane module to be easily and accurately grasped, a monitoring cell provided in the treatment system, and a monitoring method for the treatment system.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a structure of a processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a structure of a monitoring cell in a processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a monitoring cell in a processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another aspect of a monitoring cell in a processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a structure of a monitoring cell in a processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The treatment system of the present invention is a treatment system for treating a treatment target containing organic substances, and in particular, is a treatment system relating to membrane separation methane fermentation treatment, which combines methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation treatment.
Furthermore, the treatment system of the present invention monitors the condition of the membrane module used in the membrane separation process in a treatment environment and in a manner that does not affect the membrane separation process, making it possible to easily and accurately grasp the condition of the membrane module.

The monitoring cell and the monitoring method of the treatment system of the present invention also relate to monitoring the membrane module in the treatment system of the present invention.

Examples of the objects to be treated in the present invention include organic wastewater containing solids such as food waste, food waste, vegetation, and sludge, as well as organic waste liquids and organic waste such as livestock manure and excess sludge. Note that the objects to be treated in the present invention are not limited to these, and any object that contains organic matter that can be fermented under anaerobic conditions can be treated in the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a processing system, a monitoring cell, and a method for monitoring a processing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The description of the method for monitoring a processing system according to the present invention shall be replaced with the description of the configuration and operation of the processing system and the monitoring cell according to the present invention.
The processing system and the monitoring cell described in the embodiment are merely examples for explaining the processing system and the monitoring cell according to the present invention, and are not limited thereto. Furthermore, the monitoring method of the processing system in this embodiment is merely an example for explaining the monitoring method related to the following processing system, and is not limited thereto.

[First embodiment]
[Processing System]
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a treatment system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a monitoring cell in the treatment system according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the monitoring cell in Fig. 1, and the structures related to a methane fermentation tank 1 and membrane modules 2a and 2b are omitted.

The treatment system 100A according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation treatment on the treatment target S, and as shown in FIG. 1, is equipped with a methane fermentation tank 1 that performs methane fermentation treatment on the treatment target S supplied via a line L1, a membrane module 2 that performs membrane separation on the treatment liquid W produced in the methane fermentation tank 1 to obtain a concentrated liquid F1 and a permeated liquid F2, and a circulation pump 3 that sends the treatment liquid W to the membrane module 2 and returns the concentrated liquid F1 to the methane fermentation tank 1.
1 and 2, the treatment system 100A according to this embodiment includes a monitoring cell 4A. As will be described later, the monitoring cell 4A includes a membrane element 40 having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module 2.

The treatment system 100A according to this embodiment may be provided with equipment other than that shown in FIG. 1. For example, a concentration tank for concentrating the treatment target S, a solubilization tank for solubilizing the treatment target S, and an adjustment tank for adjusting the amount of the treatment target S supplied to the methane fermentation tank 1 may be provided upstream of the methane fermentation tank 1. A water treatment facility for treating the permeate F2 may be provided downstream of the membrane module 2. A biogas utilization facility including a desulfurization device and a gas storage tank for recovering the biogas (methane gas) generated from the methane fermentation tank 1 via line L2 and utilizing the biogas may be provided.

An outline of the processing of a processing object by a processing system 100A in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the material to be treated S is supplied to the methane fermentation tank 1 via line L1. Then, the material to be treated S is subjected to methane fermentation treatment in the methane fermentation tank 1. Then, the material to be treated S treated in the methane fermentation tank 1 becomes a treated liquid W, which is sent to the membrane module 2 side. At this time, the treated liquid W is subjected to membrane separation via the circulation pump 3 and the pipes 31a to 31d and 32a to 32c through the multiple membrane modules 2, and a concentrated liquid F1 and a permeated liquid F2 are obtained. The permeated liquid F2 is discharged outside the system, but the concentrated liquid F1 is returned to the methane fermentation tank 1.
The above is the flow of the membrane separation methane fermentation treatment in the treatment system 100A in this embodiment.

In the treatment system 100A in this embodiment, a monitoring cell 4A is provided to grasp the state of the membrane module 2 used for membrane separation. As shown in FIG. 2, the monitoring cell 4A is provided with a membrane element 40 having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module 2 used for membrane separation treatment. As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring cell 4A is provided in parallel with one of the membrane modules 2 (membrane module 2c in FIG. 1). As a result, the membrane element 40 in the monitoring cell 4A is placed in the same treatment environment as the membrane module 2 (membrane module 2c). In other words, since monitoring of the membrane element 40 in the monitoring cell 4A corresponds to monitoring of the membrane module 2 in the treatment environment, there is no need to directly monitor the membrane module 2 itself. Therefore, it is possible to perform monitoring without affecting the membrane separation treatment by the membrane module 2.

The following describes each component of the processing system 100A of this embodiment.

(Methane fermentation tank)
The methane fermentation tank 1 is a treatment tank for subjecting the treatment target S to methane fermentation treatment using anaerobic microorganisms (methane bacteria), and is desirably an airtight container in order to maintain anaerobic conditions, but other than that, there are no particular limitations on its specific structure.
The structure of the methane fermentation tank 1 is preferably selected appropriately depending on, for example, the material to be treated S. More specifically, the structure of a treatment tank used for the anaerobic treatment of organic wastewater or organic waste liquid containing a large amount of liquid components, or the structure of a treatment tank used for the anaerobic treatment of organic waste containing a large amount of solid components, etc. can be appropriately selected and used.
In the treatment system 100A of this embodiment, the treated liquid W produced in the methane fermentation tank 1 is supplied to the membrane module 2 for membrane separation. For this reason, when methane fermentation treatment using granules is performed in the methane fermentation tank 1, there is a risk that solid matter with a large particle size, such as granules, may be mixed into the treated liquid W produced in the methane fermentation tank 1, which may cause the clogging of the membrane module 2 arranged downstream of the methane fermentation tank 1 to progress. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the methane fermentation treatment using a methane fermentation tank 1 of a known structure as a complete mixing type methane fermentation tank in this embodiment.

The methane fermentation tank 1 in this embodiment is preferably provided with stirring means 10 for stirring the inside thereof.
Specific configurations of the stirring means 10 include, for example, a stirrer 11 having stirring blades 11a and a drive unit 11b attached to a rotating shaft as shown in FIG. 1, as well as a stirring pump and circulation piping for circulating the treatment liquid W in the methane fermentation tank 1.

The specific structure of the methane fermenter 1 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a cylindrical shape, a prismatic shape, a tortoise shell shape, an abacus bead shape, an egg shape, etc. As an example of the structure of the methane fermenter 1, it is preferable that the bottom of the methane fermenter 1 has a slope. This makes it easy to collect the solid residue and also improves the stirring efficiency at the bottom of the methane fermenter 1.
As another example of the other structure of the methane fermentation tank 1, for example, an internal structure for increasing the stirring efficiency of the stirring means 10 may be further provided.

In this embodiment, the material S treated in the methane fermentation tank 1 is sent to the membrane module 2 as the treated liquid W.

(Membrane module)
The membrane module 2 performs solid-liquid separation (membrane separation) using a membrane on the treated liquid W produced in the methane fermenter 1 to obtain a concentrated liquid F1 and a permeated liquid F2.
In addition, the number of membrane modules 2 in this embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of membrane modules 2a, 2b, and 2c may be arranged in series, and the concentrated liquid F1 may be sequentially supplied to the membrane modules 2 to increase the concentration rate of the solid content (methane fermentation sludge) in the treatment liquid W. The arrangement (arrangement) of the membrane modules 2 is also not particularly limited. For example, a plurality of membrane modules 2 may be connected in parallel to form an arrangement, or a plurality of membrane modules 2 connected in series may be unitized, and a plurality of such units may be connected in parallel to form an arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 1, the concentrated liquid F1 is returned to the methane fermentation tank 1 via the circulation pump 3 and pipes 31a to 31d. Meanwhile, the permeated liquid F2 is discharged outside the system via pipes 32a to 32c. As mentioned above, the permeated liquid F2 discharged outside the system may be further treated by other water treatment equipment.

Here, the treated liquid W sent to the membrane module 2 contains anaerobic microorganisms (methane bacteria) in the methane fermentation tank 1. In other words, when the treated liquid W is discharged from the methane fermentation tank 1 and sent to the membrane module 2, the anaerobic microorganisms (methane bacteria) are also discharged from the methane fermentation tank 1.
1, the treatment system 100A in this embodiment includes a plurality of membrane modules 2a, 2b, and 2c, and circulates the treated liquid W through a circulation pump 3 and pipes 31a to 31d, and returns the treated liquid W to the methane fermentation tank 1 as a concentrated liquid F1, whereby anaerobic microorganisms (methane bacteria) that flow out from the methane fermentation tank 1 are collected as the concentrated liquid F1 and returned to the methane fermentation tank 1. This makes it possible to prevent the anaerobic microorganisms from flowing out from the methane fermentation tank 1, and to maintain the concentration of anaerobic microorganisms in the methane fermentation tank 1.

The membrane module 2 may be any module capable of performing membrane separation of the treated liquid W to obtain a concentrated liquid F1 containing solids (methane fermentation sludge) rich in anaerobic microorganisms (methane bacteria) and a permeate F2 from which the solids have been removed.
Specific examples of the membrane module 2 include a tubular type, a hollow fiber type, a spiral type, and a submerged flat membrane. As the membrane module 2 in this embodiment, it is preferable to use a so-called external type that is provided outside the methane fermentation tank 1, as shown in FIG.
In addition, it is particularly preferable to use a tubular type as the membrane module 2. This allows for membrane separation by a so-called cross-flow method, in which the membrane surface linear velocity is increased to generate turbulence near the membrane surface and suppress reversible fouling. It is also known that the tubular type has a larger flow path through which the treatment liquid W passes than the hollow fiber type or spiral type. For this reason, it has the advantage that the membrane module 2 is less likely to be clogged even if the treatment liquid W to be fed has physical properties such as a high SS concentration and high viscosity.

As shown in Fig. 2, the membrane module 2 in this embodiment includes a plurality of tubular membrane elements 20. Here, the membrane element 20 refers to a membrane such as a UF membrane integrated with a support, and the membrane module 2 refers to an assembly of the membrane elements 20.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the membrane element 20 is preferably provided with a UF membrane and an MF membrane in consideration of the size of the solid content (methane fermentation sludge) in the treatment liquid W. This allows the membrane module 2 to be used repeatedly and facilitates maintenance work.

A separate backwash line may be provided for the membrane module 2 (not shown). The backwash conditions (e.g., chemicals to be used) may be determined based on the monitoring results of the monitoring cell 4, which will be described later.

(Circulation pump)
The circulation pump 3 is for sending the treated liquid W generated in the methane fermentation tank 1 to the membrane module 2, and for returning the concentrated liquid F1 to the methane fermentation tank 1. As a result, the anaerobic microorganisms (methane bacteria) contained in the treated liquid W discharged from the methane fermentation tank 1 are returned to the methane fermentation tank 1 as the concentrated liquid F1, making it possible to suppress the outflow of anaerobic microorganisms in the methane fermentation tank 1.
In FIG. 1, the circulation pump 3 is shown as sending the treated liquid W produced in the methane fermentation tank 1 to the membrane module 2 (membrane module 2a) via the pipe 31a, and passing the concentrated liquid F1 sequentially through the membrane modules 2 (membrane modules 2b and 2c) via the pipes 31b to 31d, and returning the concentrated liquid F1 to the methane fermentation tank 1.

(Monitoring cell)
The monitoring cell 4A is for monitoring the state of the membrane module 2.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the monitoring cell 4A in this embodiment does not directly monitor the membrane module 2, but rather includes a membrane element 40 having the same performance as the membrane element 20 that forms the membrane module 2 within the monitoring cell 4A, and monitors this membrane element 40.
1, the monitoring cell 4A is provided in parallel with the membrane module 2 (membrane module 2c), and the same treatment liquid W (concentrated liquid F1 from membrane module 2b) is supplied to the monitoring cell 4A and the membrane module 2c via the pipe 31c. As a result, the monitoring of the membrane element 40 provided in the monitoring cell 4A corresponds to the monitoring of the membrane module 2 under the treatment environment, and therefore there is no need to directly monitor the membrane module 2 itself. Therefore, monitoring can be performed without affecting the membrane separation process by the membrane module 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the monitoring cell 4A monitors the permeate side of the membrane element 40. This allows the membrane surface, which is in an environment that does not directly contact the solids in the treatment liquid W, to be monitored. This makes it possible to capture changes in the membrane surface caused by clogging or deterioration of the membrane element 40 without being affected by the adhesion or accumulation of solids, and also makes it possible to accurately grasp trends related to clogging or deterioration of the membrane module 2.

The monitoring cell 4A may be arranged so as to indirectly monitor the state of the membrane module 2, and the location of the monitoring cell 4A is not particularly limited. However, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the membrane module 2 is an arrangement of multiple membrane modules 2a, 2b, and 2c arranged in series, it is preferable to provide the monitoring cell 4A in parallel with the membrane module 2c corresponding to the most downstream position. This makes it possible to monitor the membrane module 2c at the point where the solid content in the treatment liquid W is the highest and where the load is the highest in the membrane module 2, and it becomes possible to take appropriate measures before the entire membrane module 2 becomes clogged or deteriorates. This also makes it possible to reduce the impact on the treatment system 100A.

An example of the structure of the monitoring cell 4A and its vicinity will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in Fig. 2, the monitoring cell 4A is provided with a membrane element 40, and the treated liquid W (concentrated liquid F1 from the membrane module 2b) is supplied through a pipe 41a branched from the pipe 31c, and the concentrated liquid F1 and the permeated liquid F2 are discharged to the outside of the monitoring cell 4A through pipes 41b and 41c. At this time, as shown in Fig. 2, the concentrated liquid F1 and the permeated liquid F2 discharged from the monitoring cell 4A may be connected to the pipes 41b and 41c so that they are introduced into the line (pipe 31d) of the concentrated liquid F1 and the line (pipe 32c) of the permeated liquid F2 discharged by membrane separation by the membrane module 2c, respectively, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the pipe 41b may be connected to the methane fermentation tank 1, or the pipe 41c may be directly connected to another water treatment facility.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pipes 41a to 41c may be provided with on-off valves V1 to V3, respectively, so that the monitoring cell 4A can be separated from the processing flow of the processing system 100A.

In the monitoring cell 4A, the structure for monitoring from the permeate side of the membrane element 40 and the monitoring means are not particularly limited.
For example, in order to directly monitor the surface of the membrane element 40 provided in the monitoring cell 4A, the support (outer tube) constituting the membrane element 40 may be made of a transparent material.
In this case, it is preferable that the membrane element 40 is of a tubular type like the membrane module 2, and is structured as shown in Fig. 2 such that the treatment liquid W is supplied to the inside of the tubular membrane element 40 via piping 41a to perform membrane separation, and the concentrated liquid F1 is discharged from the inside of the membrane element 40 and the permeated liquid F2 is discharged to the outside of the membrane element 40. This allows easy monitoring from the permeated liquid side of the membrane element 40.
In addition, the monitoring cell 4A itself in which the membrane element 40 is disposed may be made of a transparent material, so that the monitoring cell 4A can be structured to enable monitoring from the outside.

The means for monitoring the monitoring cell 4A is not particularly limited as long as it can monitor the surface condition of the membrane element 40.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable to provide a monitoring means 42 capable of monitoring the change in color of the surface of the membrane element 40 .

In the treatment system 100A of this embodiment, the treatment liquid W produced in the methane fermentation tank 1 contains fine solids (methane fermentation sludge), which are generally colored. Therefore, as the membrane element 40 becomes clogged or deteriorates, the colored solids penetrate into the membrane, causing a change in the color of the membrane surface on the permeate side. Therefore, by monitoring the color change on the membrane element 40 surface with the monitoring means 42, it is possible to grasp the condition of the membrane element 40 easily and with high accuracy.

Examples of the monitoring means 42 include image acquisition devices such as cameras and videos, as well as sensors such as color identification sensors. This makes it possible to acquire and store information related to the surface state of the membrane element 40 as data, and by accumulating and comparing this data, it becomes possible to further improve the accuracy of understanding and judging the state of the membrane element 40, i.e., the state of the membrane module 2.
Here, examples of comparison calculations using information related to the surface condition of the membrane element 40 accumulated as data include determining the change in surface color over the passage of filtration time, the change in color from the surface color of a new membrane element 40, and the change in color from the operating state of the treatment system 100A when it is determined that membrane separation is proceeding normally.

The configuration of the monitoring cell 4A can be made independent as a monitoring cell according to the present invention. This monitoring cell can be applied to an existing treatment system, in particular a treatment system that includes a methane fermentation tank that performs methane fermentation treatment on a treatment target containing organic matter, and a membrane module that performs membrane separation of the treatment liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank to obtain a concentrated liquid and a permeate liquid. This makes it possible to provide the treatment system and treatment system monitoring method of the present invention through simple installation work, without updating the entire treatment system.

As described above, the monitoring cell 4A and the monitoring means 42 in this embodiment make it possible to grasp the state of the membrane element 40 incorporated in the treatment system 100A simply and with high accuracy. That is, it becomes possible to grasp the state of the membrane module 2 in the treatment environment simply and with high accuracy.
Based on the state of the membrane module 2 grasped by the monitoring cell 4A and the monitoring means 42, it is possible to appropriately determine and execute the content of the maintenance work (cleaning or membrane replacement), as well as the frequency and timing of the maintenance.

When cleaning is performed as maintenance for the membrane module 2, the monitoring cell 4A may be used to obtain information about effective cleaning. For example, in the treatment system 100A shown in Figures 1 and 2, all of the on-off valves V1 to V3 are closed, and the monitoring cell 4A is separated from the treatment system 100A. A cleaning chemical is introduced into the monitoring cell 4A via lines L3 and L4, and after a certain period of immersion, the cleaning chemical is discharged, and data related to the surface of the membrane element 40 is obtained by the monitoring means 42. This makes it possible to obtain information about cleaning with the cleaning chemical and to evaluate the cleaning effect. Based on this evaluation, it is also possible to obtain useful information about the determination of the cleaning chemical for effective cleaning of the membrane module 2 and other conditions for effective cleaning of the membrane module 2.

[Second embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a monitoring cell in a processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
A processing system 100B in the second embodiment of the present invention has a monitoring cell 4B having a permeate discharge part 43 for discharging the permeate, instead of the monitoring cell 4A in the first embodiment. Note that, among the configurations of the processing system 100B in this embodiment, some of the explanations and illustrations of the same configurations as those of the processing system 100A in the first embodiment will be omitted.

The monitoring cell 4B in this embodiment has a permeate discharge section 43 for discharging the permeate F2 discharged from the membrane element 40 from the monitoring cell 4B.
Depending on the type of the treated liquid W, the permeated liquid F2 may become colored when separated through the membrane. In this case, the permeated liquid F2 itself becomes a disturbance in monitoring, making it difficult to monitor the liquid W from outside the monitoring cell 4B using the monitoring means 42 or the like.
Therefore, in the monitoring cell 4B of this embodiment, it is possible to monitor the membrane element 40 in a state in which the influence of disturbances is suppressed by discharging the permeated liquid F2 through the permeated liquid discharge section 43. This makes it possible to grasp the state of the membrane element 40 simply and with high accuracy, regardless of the properties of the permeated liquid F2.

As shown in Fig. 3, the permeate discharge unit 43 may be configured by connecting a pipe 43a equipped with a drain valve V4 and a pipe 43b equipped with an open valve V5 to the monitoring cell 4B. By doing so, the permeate F2 in the monitoring cell 4B can be quickly discharged by opening both the drain valve V4 and the open valve V5. The timing of operating the permeate discharge unit 43 is not particularly limited. For example, the permeate discharge unit 43 may be operated periodically to perform monitoring, or may be operated constantly to perform monitoring.
Furthermore, the permeate discharge section 43 may be any device capable of discharging the permeate F2 from the monitoring cell 4B. For example, the pipe 43b equipped with the release valve V5 may be connected to the pipe 41c.

When the permeate discharge section 43 discharges the permeate F2 from the monitoring cell 4B, monitoring of the surface of the membrane element 40 can be performed by a simple means. In this case, it is desirable to stop the supply of the treatment liquid W to the monitoring cell 4B.

On the other hand, another aspect of the monitoring cell 4B in this embodiment is that, in addition to the permeated liquid discharge section 43, a replacement water supply section 44 for replacing the permeated liquid with water (pure water) is provided.
FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another example of a monitoring cell 4B in this embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 4, the replacement water supply unit 44 may include a water tank 44a, a pipe 44b, and a water supply valve V6. As shown in Fig. 4, the permeated liquid discharge unit 43 may include a pipe 43a having a drain valve V4 connected to the monitoring cell 4B, and a pipe 43b having an open valve V5 connected to the pipe 41c.
Then, by opening both the drain valve V4 and the open valve V5, the permeated liquid F2 in the monitoring cell 4B is quickly discharged, and the replacement water (pure water) in the water tank 44a is supplied to the monitoring cell 4B via the water tank 44a, the pipe 44b, and the water supply valve V6. As a result, the water in the monitoring cell 4B is replaced with transparent water (pure water), making it possible to perform continuous monitoring without being affected by disturbances caused by the permeated liquid F2 and without stopping the supply of the treatment liquid W to the monitoring cell 4B.
The replacement water supply unit 44 may be integrated with the configuration of the permeated liquid discharge unit 43. For example, instead of providing the pipe 44b and the water supply valve V6, a water tank 44a may be provided for the pipe 43b having the open valve V5 connected to the monitoring cell 4B, and the open valve V5 and the drain valve V4 may be opened to discharge the permeated liquid and supply the replacement water simultaneously.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of a monitoring cell in a processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
A processing system 100C in the third embodiment of the present invention has a monitoring cell 4C having a load applying means 45 for applying a processing load to a membrane element 40, instead of the monitoring cell 4A in the first embodiment. Note that, among the configurations of the processing system 100C in this embodiment, some of the explanations and illustrations will be omitted for those that are the same as the configurations of the processing system 100A in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the monitoring cell 4C is placed in a state where a processing load is applied higher than that of the membrane module 2 (membrane module 2c in FIG. 5) by the load application means 45. This allows the membrane state to change in the membrane element 40 earlier than in the membrane module 2, making it possible to predict early signs of clogging or deterioration in the membrane module 2 and to take early action.

As an example of the load applying means 45, as shown in FIG. 5, a flow rate adjusting mechanism 45a is provided on the pipe for supplying the treatment liquid W to the monitoring cell 4C, and the treatment liquid W is supplied at a flow rate smaller than the flow rate per membrane element 20.
In addition, the load applying means 45 is not limited to a means in which a separate mechanism for applying a load is provided, such as a flow rate adjusting mechanism 45a. Other examples of the load applying means 45 include arranging a monitoring cell 4C at a location where the solid content in the treatment liquid W is the highest (the most downstream membrane module 2c in FIG. 5), or arranging a monitoring cell 4C at a location where the pressure (water pressure) in the supply of the treatment liquid W is the highest.
Furthermore, the load applying means 45 may be provided with a mechanism for applying a load, such as a flow rate adjusting mechanism 45a, and may also be configured to set the location of the monitoring cell 4C.

The above-described embodiment shows an example of a processing system, a monitoring cell, and a method for monitoring a processing system. The processing system, the monitoring cell, and the method for monitoring a processing system according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the processing system, the monitoring cell, and the method for monitoring a processing system according to the above-described embodiment may be modified within the scope of the gist of the claims.

The treatment system of the present invention is used for treating objects containing organic substances, such as organic wastewater, organic waste, etc. In particular, the treatment system is suitably used for treatments related to methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation methane fermentation treatment by membrane separation.
Furthermore, the monitoring cell and the monitoring method of the treatment system of the present invention are suitably used in monitoring treatment systems involved in methane fermentation treatment and membrane separation methane fermentation treatment using membrane separation.

100A, 100B, 100C treatment system, 1 methane fermentation tank, 10 mixing means, 11 mixer, 11a mixing blade, 11b drive unit, 2, 2a, 2b, 2c membrane module, 20 membrane element, 3 circulation pump, 31a to 31d piping, 32a to 32c piping, 4A, 4B, 4C monitoring cell, 40 membrane element, 41a to 41c piping, 42 monitoring means, 43 permeate discharge unit, 43a, 43b piping, 44 replacement water supply unit, 44a water tank, 44b piping, 45 load applying means, 45a flow rate adjustment mechanism, F1 concentrated liquid, F2 permeate liquid, L1 to L4 lines, S treatment object, V1 to V6 valves, W treatment liquid

Claims (5)

A treatment system for treating an object to be treated that contains organic matter,
A methane fermentation tank for subjecting the material to methane fermentation;
A membrane module that separates the treated liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank through membrane separation to obtain a concentrated liquid and a permeated liquid;
a monitoring cell including a membrane element having the same performance as the membrane element forming the membrane module, and monitoring the state of the membrane element from the permeate side;
and a load applying means for applying a treatment load to the membrane element of the monitoring cell. The treatment system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring cell is provided with a monitoring means for monitoring a change in color of the surface of the membrane element. The treatment system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the monitoring cell is provided with a permeate discharge section for discharging the permeate in the monitoring cell. a methane fermentation tank for subjecting a treatment target containing organic matter to methane fermentation treatment;
A monitoring cell provided for a treatment system including a membrane module that separates the treated liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank into a concentrated liquid and a permeated liquid,
A membrane element having the same performance as a membrane element forming the membrane module in the treatment system;
A load applying means for applying a treatment load to the membrane element,
A monitoring cell for monitoring the state of the membrane element from the permeate side. a methane fermentation tank for subjecting a treatment target containing organic matter to methane fermentation treatment;
A method for monitoring a treatment system comprising a membrane module for separating the treated liquid produced in the methane fermentation tank into a concentrated liquid and a permeated liquid, comprising:
providing a monitoring cell having a membrane element having the same performance as a membrane element forming the membrane module in the treatment system;
a monitoring step of monitoring the state of the membrane element from the permeate side through the monitoring cell;
and applying a treatment load to the membrane element of the monitoring cell.