Membrane Bioreactors
Membrane Bioreactors (MBR) are treatment processes, which integrate a perm-selective or semi-permeable membrane with a biological process. It is the combination of a membrane process like microfiltration or ultrafiltration with a suspended growth bioreactor, and is now widely used for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment with plant sizes up to 80’000 population equivalents. Due to it being a very technical solution; it needs expert design and skilled workers. Furthermore it is a costly but efficient treatment possibility. With the MBR technology, it is possible to upgrade old wastewater plants.
Advantages
- Secondary clarifiers and tertiary filtration processes are eliminated, thereby reducing plant footprint. In certain instances, footprint can be further reduced because other process units such as digesters or UV disinfection can also be eliminated/ minimised.
- Can be designed to prolong sludge age, hence lower sludge production.
- High effluent quality
- High loading rate capability.
