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Membranes
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A Commemorative Special Issue in Honor of Professor Simon Judd
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A Commemorative Special Issue in Honor of Professor Simon Judd

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications for Water Treatment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 2715

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gaetano Di Bella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Enna “Kore”, 94100 Enna, Italy
Interests: membrane bioreactor; membrane fouling; wastewater treatment; full-scale and lab-scale plant; biological treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Riccardo Campo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering–(DICEA), University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Interests: wastewater treatment; biofilm; aerobic granular sludge; extracellular polymeric substances; resource recovery; membrane bioreactors; moving bed biofilm reactors; anaerobic digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Simon Judd is an Emeritus Professor at Cranfield University, where he has worked for 29 years, and spent six years on sabbatical as a Chair in Environmental Engineering at Qatar University. He has been an independent environmental consultant since 2012 as Director of Judd & Judd Ltd., the company which owns the TheMBRSite.com and SludgeProcessing.com websites.

He has spent most of his professional career managing applied research projects, predominantly in membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment and encompassing key topics such as sludge quality, process cost, pre-treatment and post-treatment, resource recovery (including water reuse) and process upset phenomena. He has (co-)authored 215 papers and six book titles, including both editions of ‘The MBR Book’. He has supervised a number of large research projects, including 36 research student programmes, 24 of which at a doctorate level.

This Special Issue is aimed at reflecting on practical studies related to membrane and MBR technology. Studies carried out at or associated with full-scale plant operation are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Gaetano Di Bella
Dr. Riccardo Campo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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22 pages, 2908 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Genericity of an Adaptive Optimal Control Approach to Optimize Membrane Filtration Systems
by Aymen Chaaben, Fatma Ellouze, Nihel Ben Amar, Alain Rapaport, Marc Heran and Jérôme Harmand
Membranes 2025, 15(6), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes15060157 - 22 May 2025
Abstract
This study explores the application and robustness of an adaptive optimal control (AOC) strategy to optimize the operation of membrane filtration systems. The proposed control is based on a constant flux model where fouling is primarily due to cake layer formation. The algorithm [...] Read more.
This study explores the application and robustness of an adaptive optimal control (AOC) strategy to optimize the operation of membrane filtration systems. The proposed control is based on a constant flux model where fouling is primarily due to cake layer formation. The algorithm dynamically finds the optimal ratio between the filtration (F) and backwash (BW) time ratio in response to system disturbances, thereby adapting the operational state of the membrane in order to optimize its performance in terms of energy consumption. The strategy was successfully applied to both microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) systems and quantitatively demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing energy consumption and controlling fouling. It proved robust against model uncertainties and demonstrated real-time adaptability even under varying and realistic disturbance conditions. The implementation of this control strategy facilitated real-time adaptation of the filtration/backwash (F/BW) ratio in response to dynamic system disturbances. The result underlines that the control behavior is predominantly driven by fluctuations in mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSSs). Compared to conventional fixed-time modes, the AOC led to significant energy savings, ranging from 7% to 30%, and membrane lifespan extension, mainly through more efficient permeate pump usage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Commemorative Special Issue in Honor of Professor Simon Judd)
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11 pages, 1494 KiB  
Article
Revamping of a Full-Scale Membrane Plant for Landfill Leachate Pretreatment Using Partial Nitritation
by Laura Palli, Francesca Tuci, Letizia Macellaro La Franca, Donatella Fibbi and Riccardo Gori
Membranes 2024, 14(5), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14050115 - 14 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1244
Abstract
This paper describes a case study involving a revamping of a full-scale membrane bioreactor that treats landfill leachate and other liquid wastes. The main change was the introduction of nitritation/denitritation in alternating cycles instead of the classic denitrification/nitrification process, together with the installation [...] Read more.
This paper describes a case study involving a revamping of a full-scale membrane bioreactor that treats landfill leachate and other liquid wastes. The main change was the introduction of nitritation/denitritation in alternating cycles instead of the classic denitrification/nitrification process, together with the installation of fine bubble diffusers, a reduction in the volume of the biological compartment, and an increase in the equalization volume. The most significant results were obtained for the biological compartment, with a decrease in the specific energy consumption of 46.6%. At the same time, the removal efficiency of COD, BOD, and TN substantially remained the same before and after plant revamping, while the removal efficiency of TP increased over the years, reaching an average value of almost 71%. Regarding the ultrafiltration unit, the specific flux (or permeability) was characterized by an increasing trend. At the same time, the specific energy consumption of this section decreased by 9.4%. These results led to the conclusion that the changes introduced with the revamp led to a more stable process, a reduction in membrane fouling, and important energy savings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Commemorative Special Issue in Honor of Professor Simon Judd)
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