The Staged Anaerobic Fluidized-bed Membrane Bioreactor (SAF-MBR) is a promising technology for reducing the energy intensity of domestic wastewater treatment by using anaerobic microorganisms to convert organics into methane in the absence of aeration. However, the hydrodynamic processes related to flow-particle and particle-particle interactions induced by the moving particles in the SAF-MBR are poorly understood, which hinders its design and operational practices.
