Journal of Applied Science and Engineering

Published by Tamkang University Press

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Evaluation Of A Membrane Bioreactor For The Treatment Of Oil Refinery Runoff From Al-Dora Facility In Baghdad, Iraq, And Its Multi-Kinetic Modeling

 2027

 Volume 36

Abbas Mezaal Karafe1, Omar A. Alwash1, Khazaal Hameed Khazaal1, Hayder Meteab Mohsin1, Safa Al-deen A. Juboori1, and M. J. Aljumaili2

1Scientific Research Commission, Baghdad, Iraq

2Biomedical Engineering Research Center, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq

Received: March 30, 2026
Accepted: July 29, 2026
Publication Date: October 09, 2026

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The MBR system represented schematically

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An oily effluent from the Al-Dora petroleum refinery in Baghdad, Iraq, was investigated to evaluate the performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) under various operating conditions. The system was operated at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) ranging from 12 to 24 hours, with mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations of 6.8 and 8.7 g/L. Evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR) was employed to integrate several kinetic models, including first-order, modified Stover-Kincannon, and Grau second-order models, to predict and interpret bioreactor performance. Experimental results showed that at an MLSS concentration of 8.7 g/L and an HRT of 24 hours, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency reached approximately 96.4%. Overall, the findings demonstrated that higher MLSS concentrations and longer HRTs positively influenced the organic removal efficiency of the MBR system. The EPR model exhibited high predictive accuracy, confirming its effectiveness in describing the nonlinear behavior of MBRs treating refinery effluent. Optimization analysis based on EPR modeling identified optimal operating conditions at an HRT of approximately 21 hours and an MLSS concentration of about 8.3 g/L. Furthermore, kinetic evaluation revealed that the modified Stover-Kincannon and Grau second-order models provided a more realistic representation of COD removal behavior within the investigated operating range, outperforming the first-order kinetic model.

Keywords: Membrane bioreactor (MBR), Oily wastewater treatment, Petroleum refinery effluent, Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS)

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