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Abstract
Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have been actively employed for municipal and industrial
wastewater treatments. So far, membrane fouling and the high cost of membranes are
main obstacles for wider application of MBRs. Over the past few years, considerable
investigations have been performed to understand MBR fouling in detail and to develop
high-flux or low-cost membranes. This review attempted to address the recent and current
developments in MBRs on the basis of reported literature in order to provide more
detailed information about MBRs. In this paper, the fouling behaviour, fouling factors
and fouling control strategies were discussed. Recent developments in membrane materials
including low-cost filters, membrane modification and dynamic membranes were also
reviewed. Lastly, the future trends in membrane fouling research and membrane material
development in the coming years were addressed.