In this study, commercial baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was employed as a novel inoculum for a membrane bioreactor (MBRy). It was applied to landfill leachate (LFL) treatment to remove recalcitrant organic compounds as well as for the assimilation of recalcitrant compounds, since yeasts have a high ability to break such compounds down. The MBR was inoculated with 10 g L-1 of commercial baker's yeast and was operated at a hydraulic retention time of 48 h and pH of 3.5. The specific air demand based on the membrane area (SADm) was maintained at 0.6 m³h-1m-2. The MBRy achieved chemical oxygen demand (COD), color, NH3, and humic substances removal of 68, 79, 68, and 50%, respectively. Furthermore, the MBRy showed lower fouling potential, which can be attributed to the low extracellular polymeric substances production, as the formation of a cake layer was the major mechanism of membrane fouling. The work demonstrated that novel MBR is a promising technology for treating recalcitrant landfill leachate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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