MEMBRANE BIO REACTOR (MBR)

Membrane bioreactor as the technology which is based on combination of membranes and biological reactors used for treatment or resource recovery from wastewater. This combines membrane separation with biological conversion which is then applied on biocide separation, gas diffusion, extraction, bio-catalytic and electrochemical membrane biological reactors. The membrane further has a magnificent impact on bio-solid separation membrane biological reactors, which reject solid material developed by the biological process. This type of membrane is used in some industries to transfer degradable organic pollutants from hostile industrial wastewater via a non-porous silicon membrane to a nutrient medium for subsequent biodegradation. The membrane also gained popularity in the food and pharmaceutical industries, even though it is majorly applied in wastewater treatment industries. MBR’s are said to operate at low cross flow velocity and at low TMP.

Advantages

  • High quality effluent – the water, after being treated in the MBR is of extremely high quality since all the bio matter, solids and microorganisms are filtered. The effluent is directly reusable or recyclable and can be release in the environment.
  • Independent HRT and SRT – sludge retention time (SRT) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) are completely independent since sludge solids are completely retained in the bioreactor, unlike in CAS where the biomass needs to be flocs into flocs which then need to settle so the settlebility relates to the retention of the liquid.
  • Small footprint – MRS require 50% less space in comparison to classical activated sludge (no clarifiers are needed and nor pre-treatment nor tertiary treatment are needed, there are less pipes and valves, less equipment). MBRs also reduce the activated sludge treatment footprint by removing part of the liquid component of the mixed liquor. The concentrated waste is then treated in the activated sludge process.
  • Consistent performance – mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), the organic content in the water, can be much higher than in CAS. Higher biomass concentration results in effective removal of biodegradable materials.
  • Low sludge production – less sludge is produced and needs to be disposed less frequently than in CAS.
  • Less sludge de watering – the sludge contains a high solid content.