Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater

Treatment.

MBR(Membrane Bio Reactor) is an Advanced technology is now

widely used for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment
plant. Most important aspect of MBR technology is production
of very high quality Treated Water consistently.
MBR is the combination of a membrane process like
microfiltration
or ultra filtration with a suspended growth bioreactor, and
is now widely used for municipal and
industrial wastewater treatment with plant sizes up to
90,000 population equivalent.

Process of MBR:

When used with domestic wastewater, MBR processes can

produce effluent of high quality enough to be discharged
to coastal, surface or brackish waterways or to be
reclaimed for urban irrigation. Other advantages of MBRs
over conventional processes include small footprint, easy
retrofit and upgrade of old wastewater treatment plants.

Two MBR configurations exist: internal/submerged, where

the membranes are immersed in and integral to the
biological reactor; and external/ sidestream, where
membranes are a separate unit process requiring an
intermediate pumping step.
Internal/submerged :
The filtration element is installed in either the main bioreactor vessel or
in a separate tank. The membranes can be flat sheet or tubular or
combination of both, and can incorporate an online backwash system
which reduces membrane surface fouling by pumping membrane
permeate back through the membrane.

External/side stream :
The filtration elements are installed externally to the reactor, often in a
plant room. The biomass is either pumped directly through a number
of membrane modules in series and back to the bioreactor, or the
biomass is pumped to a bank of modules, from which a second pump
circulates the biomass through the modules in series. Cleaning and
soaking of the membranes can be undertaken in place with use of an
installed cleaning tank, pump and pipe work.

Process of SBR :

Sequential batch reactors (SBR) are a type of activated

sludge process for the treatment of wastewater. SBR
reactors treat wastewater such as sewage or output
from anaerobic digesters or mechanical biological
treatment facilities in batches. Oxygen is bubbled through
the mixture of wastewater and activated sludge to reduce
the organic matter (measured as biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD)). The
treated effluent may be suitable for discharge to surface
waters or possibly for use on land.

There are five stages in the treatment process:

Fill
React
Settle
Decant
Idle
The inlet valve opens and the tank is being filled in, while
mixing is provided by mechanical means (no air). This stage
is also called the anoxic stage.
During the fourth stage the outlet valve opens and the clean supernatant liquor
exits the tank.

The various stages in the sequence are as follows:

Stage 1:Filling
During this stage the SBR Tank is filled with the influent wastewater. In order to
maintain suitable F/M (food to microorganism) ratios, the wastewater should
be admitted into the tank in a rapid, controlled manner. This method functions
similarly to a selector, which encourages the growth of certain
microorganisms with better settling characteristics.
Stage 2: Reaction
This stage involves the utilization of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and
ammonia nitrogen, where applicable, by microorganisms. The length of the
aeration period and the sludge mass determines the degree of treatment. The
length of the aeration period depends on the strength of the wastewater and
the degree of nitrification (conversion of the ammonia to a less toxic form of
nitrate or nitrite) provided for in the treatment.

Stage 3: Settling
During this stage, aeration is stopped and the sludge settles leaving clear,
treated effluent above the sludge blanket. Duration for settling varies from 45
to 60 minutes depending on the number of cycles per day.
Stage 4: Decanting
At this stage of the process effluent is removed from the tank through the
decanter, without disturbing the settled sludge.
Stage 5: Idling
The SBR Tank waits idle until it is time to commence a new cycle with the filling
stage.
Stage 6: Sludge Wasting Excess activated sludge is wasted periodically
during the SBR operation. As with any activated sludge treatment process,
sludge wasting is the main control of the effluent quality and microorganism
population size. This is how the operator exerts control over the effluent quality
by adjusting the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration and the
Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT).

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