For bioreactors, hydraulic retention time plays a very important role in biomass production. The effectiveness of Algal-based Membrane Bioreactor (AMBR) has not been adequately explored for domestic greywater treatment. The present study aims to assess AMBR’s efficiency for treating domestic greywater operating at four hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 1–7 d. Microalgal biomass production, removal efficiency, fouling characteristics, and net energy efficiency of the AMBR were optimized. The experimental study showed that algal biomass productivity increased with decreasing HRT, and the highest productivity (48 mg/L/d) was achieved at 2 d of HRT. Independent of HRT, 94 % BOD and 96 % anionic surfactant (AS) removals were achieved, while the highest TN and TP removals (59.5 % and 34.5 %) were achieved at HRT of 7 d. Effluent monitoring revealed that microalgae assimilation was the primary pathway of TN and TP removals. Membrane fouling frequency decreased with increasing HRT, and the lowest fouling was found at 7d of HRT. The highest methane yield (0.332 m³/d) and the net energy return NER (1.04) were estimated at HRT of 2 d. Overall, HRT of 2 d would be optimum for AMBR operation and can be modeled as a self-sustainable greywater treatment system with zero power requirements. The present study provides the basis for establishing the guidelines for AMBR design for the treatment and recycling of greywater.

对于生物反应器，水力停留时间在生物质生产中起着非常重要的作用。基于藻类的膜生物反应器 (AMBR) 的有效性尚未充分探索用于家庭灰水处理。本研究旨在评估 AMBR 处理在 1-7 天的四个水力停留时间 (HRT) 下运行的生活灰水的效率。优化了 AMBR 的微藻生物质产量、去除效率、污垢特性和净能效。实验研究表明，藻类生物量生产力随着 HRT 的降低而增加，并且在 HRT 2 d 时达到最高生产力（48 mg/L/d）。独立于 HRT，实现了 94% BOD 和 96% 阴离子表面活性剂 (AS) 去除率，而最高的 TN 和 TP 去除率（59.5% 和 34.5%）在 HRT 为 7 天时实现。出水监测表明微藻同化是去除 TN 和 TP 的主要途径。膜污染频率随着 HRT 的增加而降低，最低污染发生在 HRT 的第 7 天。最高甲烷产率（0.332 m³ / d) 和净能量返回 NER (1.04) 在 HRT 为 2 d 时估计。总体而言，2 天的 HRT 将是 AMBR 操作的最佳选择，并且可以建模为具有零功率要求的自我可持续的灰水处理系统。本研究为制定用于处理和回收灰水的 AMBR 设计指南提供了基础。