MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS

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 Prepared by the Membrane Bioreactors Task Force of the Water Environment
Federation
Glen T. Daigger, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE,
NAE, Chair
Adrienne Menniti, Ph.D., Vice-Chair
Peter Aerts, Ph.D.
Chibby Alloway
Sara Arabi, Ph.D.
Pierre Bérubé, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Randall S. Booker, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.
Jonathan C. Bundy, P.E.
Ana Calderon
Dave N. Commons
Aileen Condo, P.E.
William J. Conlon, P.E., BCEE, F.ASCE
Nicholas B. Cooper, P.E., BCEE
George V. Crawford
Timur Deniz, Ph.D., P.E.
Jason Diamond, P.Eng.
Ismael Diaz, P.E.
Don Dodson, GA Class 1 WW
Ufuk G. Erdal, Ph.D., P.E.
Val S. Frenkel, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE
John M. Friel, P.E.
Fred R. Gaines, P.E., BCEE
Andre Gharagozian, P.E.
Anthony D. Greiner, P.E., CCM
Jill M. Hudkins, P.E.
Samuel S. Jeyanayagam, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
John E. Koch
Terry Krause, P.E., BCEE
Curtis I. Kunihiro, P.E., BCEE
Scott D. Levesque, P.E.
Under the Direction of the Municipal Design Subcommittee
of the Technical Practice Committee
2011
Water Environment Federation
601 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314–1994 USA
http://www.wef.org
00-WEF_BioReactor36-Prelims.indd 2
Dennis C. Livingston, P.E.
Jorj Long
Venkatram Mahendraker, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Robert R. McCandless, P.E.
Henryk Melcer
Indra N. Mitra, Ph.D., P.E., MBA, BCEE
JB Neethling, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Carsten Owerdieck
Soubhagya Kumar Pattanayak
Jeff Peeters, M.Eng., P.Eng.
Marie-Laure Pellegrin, Ph.D., P.E.
Mark C. Perry, P.E.
Roderick D. Reardon, Jr., P.E.
Gary J. ReVoir II, P.E.
Joel C. Rife, P.E.
Bikram S. Sabherwal, P.E.
Nelson J. Schlater, P.E.
Michael Schmidt, P.E.
Sybil Sharvelle, Ph.D.
H. David Stensel, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
William Stradling
Vel Subramanian, Ph.D.,P.E., BCEE
Paul M. Sutton
Rudy Tekippe, Ph.D., BCEE, P.E.
Cindy Wallis-Lage, P.E.
Mark Wilf, Ph.D.
Hannah Wilner, P.E.
David S. Wolf, P.E.
Enrique Vadiveloo, P.E.
Don Vandertulip, P.E., BCEE
Seong-Hoon Yoon, Ph.D., P.E.
Thor Young, P.E., BCEE
7/28/2011 9:23:53 PM
 MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS

WEF Manual of Practice No. 36

Prepared by the Membrane Bioreactors Task Force of the
Water Environment Federation

WEF Press
Water Environment Federation Alexandria, Virginia

New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid

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Membrane Bioreactors, MOP 36

Copyright © 2012 by the Water Environment Federation. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
The material presented in this publication has been prepared in accordance with generally recog-
nized engineering principles and practices and is for general information only. This information
should not be used without first securing competent advice with respect to its suitability for any
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The contents of this publication are not intended to be a standard of the Water Environment
Federation (WEF) and are not intended for use as a reference in purchase specifications, contracts,
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No reference made in this publication to any specific method, product, process, or service consti-
tutes or implies an endorsement, recommendation, or warranty thereof by WEF.

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 About WEF

Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation® (WEF ®) is a not-for-profit

technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who
work towards WEF’s vision to preserve and enhance the global water environment.

For information on membership, publications, and conferences, contact

Water Environment Federation

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(703) 684-2400
http://www.wef.org

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 Manuals of Practice of the Water Environment Federation
The WEF Technical Practice Committee (formerly the Committee on Sewage
and Industrial Wastes Practice of the Federation of Sewage and Industrial Wastes
Associations) was created by the Federation Board of Control on October 11, 1941.
The primary function of the Committee is to originate and produce, through appro-
priate subcommittees, special publications dealing with technical aspects of the broad
interests of the Federation. These publications are intended to provide background
information through a review of technical practices and detailed procedures that
research and experience have shown to be functional and practical.

Water Environment Federation Technical Practice

Committee Control Group

R. Fernandez, Chair
J. A. Brown, Vice-Chair, Publications
S. J. Passaro, Vice-Chair, Distance Learning
B. G. Jones, Past Chair

A. Babatola
K. Conway
R. Copithorn
V. D’Amato
R. P. Dominak
S. Moisio
T. Page-Bottorff
C. Pomeroy
R. C. Porter
E. P. Rothstein
A. T. Sandy
K. Schnaars
A. Shaw
J. Swift
A. K. Umble
P. Zeller

vi

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 Contents
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xix
List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxi
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxiii

Chapter 1 Introduction
1.0 OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
2.0 ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE OF THE MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . .3
3.0 MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR PROCESS BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
3.1 Membrane Bioreactor Process Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
3.2 Significant Components of a Membrane Bioreactor System. . . . . . . . .6
3.2.1 Preliminary Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2.2 Primary Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.3 Flow Equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.4 Biological Reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2.5 Membrane Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2.6 Disinfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2.7 Solids Handling and Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.3 Scales of Membrane Bioreactor Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
4.0 HISTORY OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR
DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
5.0 OVERVIEW OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR
CAPABILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
5.1 Benefits of Membrane Bioreactor Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
5.1.1 Footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.1.2 Absolute Biomass Retention and Ease of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.1.3 Effluent Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

vii

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 viii Contents

5.2 Challenges of Membrane Bioreactor Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

5.2.1 Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.2.2 Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.2.3 New Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.3 Typical Drivers for Membrane Bioreactor Installation . . . . . . . . . . . .14
6.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Chapter 2 Membrane Fundamentals

1.0 INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
1.1 Membrane Bioreactor Process Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
1.2 Membrane Performance Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
2.0 MEMBRANE EQUIPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION
MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2.1 Membrane Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2.1.1 Microfiltration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.1.2 Ultrafiltration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.2 Membrane Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
2.2.1 Polymeric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.2.2 Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.0 MEMBRANE SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
3.1 Membrane and Membrane-Element Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
3.1.1 Hollow Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.1.2 Flat Sheets and Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.1.3 Tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.1.4 Membrane Component Operation (Membrane Process Configurations). . . . . 31
3.1.4.1 Internal (Immersed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.1.4.2 External (Sidestream) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.1.4.3 Constant Flux Versus Constant Pressure Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.0 MEMBRANE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
FUNDAMENTALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
4.1 Membrane Fouling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
4.1.1 Effect on Membrane Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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 Contents ix

4.1.2 Types of Membrane Fouling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.1.3 Membrane Fouling Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.1.4 Critical Flux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.1.5 Sustainable Flux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.2 Biological Factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
4.3 Fouling Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
4.3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3.2 Air Scour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3.3 Relaxation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3.4 Adsorbent and Coagulant Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.3.5 Backwash Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.3.6 Chemical Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.3.7 Mechanical Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.4 Membrane Failure Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
4.4.1 Irreversible Fouling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.4.2 Membrane Integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
6.0 SUGGESTED READINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Chapter 3 Biological Process Fundamentals

1.0 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
2.0 PROCESS FUNDAMENTALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
2.1 Biochemical Operations in Membrane Bioreactor Systems . . . . . . . .47
2.2 Governing Rate Kinetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
2.3 Biomass Growth and Substrate Consumption in Bioreactors . . . . . .53
3.0 PROCESS CONFIGURATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
3.1 Fully Aerobic Membrane Bioreactor Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
3.2 Combined Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Biological
Nitrogen Removal Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
3.2.1 Two-Stage Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.2.2 Four-Stage Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3.2.3 Step-Feed Membrane Bioreactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

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 x Contents

3.3 Combined Biological Nutrient (Nitrogen and Phosphorus)

Removal Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
3.3.1 Three-Stage Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
3.3.2 Five-Stage Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.0 CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTIVATED SLUDGE IN MEMBRANE
BIOREACTOR SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
4.1 Membrane Fouling and High Mixed Liquor Suspended
Solids Concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
4.2 Effects of Operating Solids Retention Time, Extracellular
Polymeric Substances, and Soluble Microbial Products
on Membrane Fouling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
4.3 Effects of Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids Concentration
and Viscosity on Oxygen Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
4.4 Sludge Thickening Characteristics of Membrane
Bioreactor Sludge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
4.5 Sludge Bulking and Foaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
4.6 Observed Sludge Yields in Conventional Activated Sludge
and Membrane Bioreactor Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
4.6.1 Observed Sludge Yields under Similar Process Configuration
and Operating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.6.2 Observed Sludge Yields and Solids Production
under Dissimilar Process Configuration and/or
Operating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
4.7 Removal of Trace Contaminants in Conventional Activated
Sludge and Membrane Bioreactor Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
5.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
6.0 SUGGESTED READINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Chapter 4 Membrane Bioreactor Process Design

1.0 INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
2.0 MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR PROCESS OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
2.1 Pretreatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
2.2 Biological Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

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 Contents xi

2.3 Membrane Separation Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

2.4 Post-Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
2.5 Residuals Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
3.0 DEFINITION OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR
DESIGN BASIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
3.1 Design Basis of Biological Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
3.2 Design Basis of Membrane Separation Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
3.3 Equipment Redundancy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
4.0 PRETREATMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
4.1 Grit and Grease Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
4.2 Screening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
4.3 Primary Clarification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
4.4 Peak Flow Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
4.4.1 Peak Flow Treatment with Membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
4.4.2 Equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
4.4.3 Hybrid Processes for Peak Flow Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4.5 Small Plant Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
4.6 Industrial Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
5.0 BIOLOGICAL PROCESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
5.1 Configuration of Biological Reactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
5.2 Solids and Hydraulic Retention Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
5.3 Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids Concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
5.4 Return Activated Sludge Recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
5.5 Activated Sludge Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
5.6 Oxygen Transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
6.0 MEMBRANE SEPARATION PROCESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
6.1 Membrane System Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
6.2 Flux Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
6.3 Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids Concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
6.4 Return Activated Sludge Recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
6.5 Permeation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

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6.6 Fouling Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

6.6.1 Liquid-Velocity-Induced Shear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
6.6.2 Membrane Air Scouring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
6.6.3 Production Cycling—Relaxation and Backwashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6.6.4 Chemical Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6.6.4.1 Maintenance Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
6.6.4.2 Recovery Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
6.6.5 Mechanical Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6.7 Ancillary Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
6.7.1 Air-Extraction System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
6.7.2 Membrane-Integrity Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
6.8 Instrumentation and Process Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
7.0 POST-TREATMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
8.0 RESIDUALS TREATMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
8.1 Screenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
8.2 Waste Activated Sludge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
8.3 Foam and Scum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
8.4 Spent Cleaning Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
9.0 ENERGY OPTIMIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
9.1 Design Elements to Reduce Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
9.1.1 Balance of Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
9.1.2 Pump Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
9.2 Operational Elements to Reduce Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
9.2.1 Membrane Air Scour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
9.2.2 Optimize Membranes in Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
9.2.3 Optimize Dissolved Oxygen within the Biological Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
9.3 Equipment Elements to Reduce Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
10.0 PROCESS SIMULATION FOR MEMBRANE
SYSTEMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
11.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
12.0 SUGGESTED READINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

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Chapter 5 Membrane Bioreactor Facility Design

1.0 GENERAL CONCEPTS FOR DESIGN OF MEMBRANE
BIOREACTOR FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
1.2 Membrane Bioreactor System Unit Process Configuration
and Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
1.3 Peak Flow Management and Membrane Bioreactor Facility
Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
1.3.1 Flow Equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
1.3.2 Design Tradeoffs with Peak Flow Management Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
1.4 Facility Hydraulic Gradeline and Hydraulic Design Issues . . . . . .128
1.5 Pretreatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
1.5.1 Coarse Influent Screening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
1.5.2 Grit Removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
1.5.3 Fine Screening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
1.5.4 Package Headworks System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
1.5.5 Primary Clarification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
1.6 Design Considerations for New Membrane Bioreactor Facilities . . . . 134
1.7 Design Considerations for Membrane Bioreactor
Retrofitting Using Existing Bioreactors and/or Tanks . . . . . . . . . . .134
1.8 Design Considerations for Upgrading to the Next Generation of
Membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
1.9 Other Design Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
2.0 MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FACILITY DESIGN
PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
2.1 Membrane Bioreactor System Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
2.1.1 Biological Tank Design Issues Specific to Membrane Bioreactors . . . . . . . . . 135
2.1.2 Membrane Tank Shape and Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
2.1.3 Pump and Return Activated Sludge Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
2.1.3.1 Gravity Flow to the Membrane Tank and Return Activated
Sludge Pumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
2.1.3.2 Pumping to Membrane Tank and Return Activated Sludge
Gravity-Flow Return Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

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2.2 Membrane Bioreactor Aeration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

2.3 Membrane Permeation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
2.3.1 Pumped Permeation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
2.3.2 Gravity Permeation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
2.3.3 Pump-Enhanced Gravity Permeation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
3.0 ANCILLARY FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
DESIGN CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
3.1 Membrane-Related Ancillary Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
3.1.1 Clean-in-Place System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
3.1.2 Permeate and Backpulse Pumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
3.1.3 Service Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
3.1.4 Air Scour Blowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
3.2 Bioreactor Aeration Blowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
3.3 Pumping Facilities (Return Activated Sludge, Mixed
Liquor Recycle, Waste Activated Sludge, Mixed Liquor
Transfer, and Scum). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
3.4 Anoxic and Anaerobic Basin Mixers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
3.5 Cranes and Hoists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
3.6 Membrane Bioreactor Tank-Related Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
3.6.1 Dip Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
3.6.2 Tank Design and Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3.6.3 Tank Grating and Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
3.6.4 Tank Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
3.7 Instrumentation and Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
4.0 SURVEY OF CURRENT MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR
PRACTICES IN SIGNIFICANT DESIGN FIRMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
4.1 Survey Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
4.2 Reasons for Selecting a Membrane Bioreactor Process . . . . . . . . . . .152
4.3 Project Delivery and Membrane Procurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
4.4 General Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
4.5 Pretreatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
4.6 Membrane Flux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

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4.7 Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids and Solids Retention Time . . . . . .153
4.8 Return Activated Sludge Pumping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
4.9 Freeboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
4.10 Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
4.11 Construction Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
5.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
6.0 SUGGESTED READINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Chapter 6 Membrane Bioreactor Membrane

Equipment Procurement
1.0 OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
1.2 Membranes and Membrane Equipment Procurement
Approaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
1.3 Membrane Equipment Supplier Scope of Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
2.0 MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR MEMBRANE EQUIPMENT
PROCUREMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
2.2 Elements Common to Membrane Bioreactor Membrane
Equipment Procurement Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
2.2.1 Upfront Preliminary Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
2.2.2 Selection Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
2.2.3 Contract Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
2.2.4 Bid Evaluation, Award, and Negotiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
2.2.5 Coordination during Final Design and Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
2.3 Membrane Bioreactor Procurement Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
3.0 OTHER TOPICS TO CONSIDER WHEN PROCURING
MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR MEMBRANE EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . .169
3.1 Membrane Bioreactor Warranties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
3.2 Membrane Bioreactor Acceptance Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
3.3 Bid Alternates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
4.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

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Chapter 7 Membrane Bioreactor Operation

1.0 OPERATION AND ROUTINE MONITORING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
1.1 Membrane Bioreactor Standard Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
1.1.1 Initial Startup and Commissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
1.1.1.1 Clean Water Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
1.1.1.2 System Seeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
1.1.2 Typical Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
1.1.2.1 Permeation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
1.1.2.2 Relaxation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
1.1.2.3 Backwash Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
1.1.3 Membrane Tanks in Standby Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
1.1.4 Shutdown of the Membrane Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
1.1.5 Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
1.2 Membrane Bioreactor Process Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
1.2.1 Upstream Effects on the Membrane Bioreactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
1.2.2 Membrane Bioreactor Effects on Downstream Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
2.0 MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
2.1 Membrane Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
2.1.1 Maintenance Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
2.1.2 Recovery Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
2.1.3 Physical Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
2.1.4 Membrane Air-Diffuser Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
2.2 Identifying and Replacing Damaged Membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
2.3 Instrument Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
2.4 Membrane Storage, Handling, and Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
2.5 Ancillary Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
2.5.1 Membrane Basins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
2.5.2 Rotating Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
2.5.3 Compressed Air System and Cyclic Valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
2.6 Manufacturer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
3.0 OPTIMIZATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

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3.1 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

3.2 Chemical Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
3.3 Operational Strategies for Energy Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
3.4 Innovative Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
4.0 TROUBLESHOOTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
5.0 LESSONS LEARNED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
5.1 Pretreatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
5.2 Membrane Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
5.3 Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
5.4 Membrane Bioreactor Strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
5.5 Membrane Bioreactor Weaknesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
6.0 OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT DIFFER FROM
CONVENTIONAL ACTIVATED SLUDGE SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
7.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
8.0 SUGGESTED READINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

Appendix A Standard Membrane Bioreactor

Computations
1.0 INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
2.0 DESIGN EXAMPLE OVERVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
2.1 Design Flowrates and Maximum Monthly Loading Rates . . . . . . . .214
2.2 Design Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
2.3 Treatment Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
2.4 Overview of the Biological Reactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
2.5 Membrane Design and Redundancy Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
3.0 STANDARD COMPUTATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
3.1 Membrane System Design Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
3.2 Parameter Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
3.3 Required Membrane Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
3.4 Required Number of Small Membrane Subunits with
Ten Percent Spare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

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 xviii Contents

3.5 Required Number of Large Membrane Subunits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

3.6 Required Membrane Tank Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
3.7 Instantaneous, Temperature-Corrected Flux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
3.8 Peak-Day Solids Loading Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
3.9 Air Scour Air Demands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
3.10 Membrane Permeability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
4.0 RECOVERY CLEANING CALCULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
4. 1 Membrane Tank Drain Pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
4. 2 Recovery Cleaning Chemical Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
5.0 REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

Appendix B Glossary

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

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 List of Figures
Figure Page
1.1 (a) Conventional activated sludge process with clarifiers for solid–liquid
separation; (b) membrane bioreactor process with membrane filtration for
solid–liquid separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 Overall treatment process flow diagram for an MBR system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Cumulative number of MBR installations by capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1 Example process flow diagram of a submerged MBR facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2 Membrane size-exclusion spectrum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.3 Membrane-element type—hollow fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4 Membrane-element type—flat-sheet plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.5 Membrane-element type—tubular membranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.6 Membrane component operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.7 Membrane fouling mechanisms—cake fouling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.8 Membrane fouling mechanisms—pore blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.1 Schematic of contaminant removal by different groups of microorganisms . . . . . . . . 48
3.2 Effect of limiting substrate concentration on the specific growth rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.3 Schematic of a simple bioreactor configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.4 Process schematic of a fully aerobic MBR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.5 Modified Ludzack–Ettinger process schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.6 Two-stage MBR process—configuration 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3.7 Two-stage MBR process—configuration 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3.8 Two-stage MBR process—configuration 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3.9 Process schematic of four-stage BardenphoTM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3.10 Process schematic of four-stage BardenphoTM—configuration 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3.11 Process schematic of four-stage BardenphoTM—configuration 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3.12 Process schematic of four-stage BardenphoTM—configuration 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
3.13 Process schematic of a step-feed MBR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
3.14 Three-stage MBR example—option 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
3.15 Three-stage MBR example—option 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
3.16 Three-stage MBR example—option 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
3.17 Process schematic of five-stage BardenphoTM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
3.18 Mixed liquor suspended solids—aeration α factor relationship in fine-bubble
diffuse aeration systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.1 External and internal flow equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
4.2 Membrane bioreactor membrane tank mass balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

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 xx List of Figures

4.3 Membrane tank MLSS concentration as a function of RAS sludge rate (R) for a
bioreactor MLSS concentration of 8000 mg/L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
4.4 Relationship between aeration tank MLSS concentration and membrane
tank MLSS concentration for varying RAS rates (R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
4.5 Typical permeability behavior with different cleaning regimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
4.6 Energy requirements for an MBR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
5.1 Effect of flow equalization on MBR flows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
5.2 Typical diffuser density in terms of AT/AD as a function of different SRTs
and peak-month BOD loading on the aerobic zone of a 4.6-m (15-ft) -deep
MBR tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
5.3 Backpulse pump configurations: (a) valves and piping configured to permit using
permeate pump for backpulse, (b) separate backpulse pumps, and (c) rotary lobe
pumps that permit flow in both directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
5.4 Diagram of sample SCADA system architecture showing overall components . . . . . 150
6.1 Effect of MBR process on other unit processes and project capital and
operations cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
7.1 Example of hollow-fiber membrane sludging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
7.2 Example of flat-sheet membrane sludging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
7.3 Membrane tank covers and overhead crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
7.4 Key elements and interactions of the MBR process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
A.1 Biological process design overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

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 List of Tables
Table Page
2.1 Examples of some commercial membrane manufacturers for MBR systems . . . . . . . . 20
2.2 Summary of membrane material characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.3 Summary of advantages and disadvantages of membrane types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.1 Typical MBR effluent quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.2 Typical differences between CAS and MBR systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.1 Typical removal rates by fine screening (based on raw wastewater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4.2 Aeration requirements for 68 ML/d domestic MBR with and without
primary clarifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
5.1 Some top-level design tradeoffs when configuring MBR treatment facilities . . . . . . . 125
5.2 Peak flow management design decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
5.3 Fine-screening technology options typically used in MBR systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
5.4 Typical design parameters for aeration systems used in MBRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
5.5 Different types of pumps and their service uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
5.6 Summary information about the number, size, and status of MBR design projects . . . .151
6.1 Key differences between procuring a pump and MBR membrane equipment . . . . . . 161
6.2 Typical MBR membrane equipment evaluation criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
6.3 Membrane bioreactor procurement approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
6.4 Comparison of MBR procurement approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
7.1 Relationship between various operating parameters and their effect on
membrane fouling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
7.2 Summary of membrane fouling and cleaning strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
7.3 Summary of cleaning strategies for several representative MBR manufacturers . . . . 190
7.4 Cleaning terminology cross-references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
7.5 Maintenance clean—hollow-fiber MBR system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
7.6 Maintenance or recovery clean—flat-sheet MBR system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
7.7 Recovery clean—hollow-fiber MBR system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
7.8 Troubleshooting guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
A.1 Influent design flowrates and maximum monthly loading rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
A.2 Treatment objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
A.3 Assumed membrane design factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
A.4 Parameter definitions, abbreviations, and units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
A.5 Determining instantaneous, temperature-corrected flux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
A.6 Determination of chemical usage for recovery cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

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 Preface
The dramatic increase in the application of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for waste-
water treatment led to significant expansion in knowledge and experience related
to their design and operation. Through this expanded experience, practices have
evolved which, when routinely applied, lead to successful implementation of MBR
technology. The purpose of this Manual of Practice is to summarize and present these
practices so that they can be more uniformly used by wastewater professionals. An
overview of membrane and biological process fundamentals as they apply to MBRs
is first provided and these fundamental principles then support information on the
integrated process design of MBR systems. The physical design of features unique
to MBRs is addressed and approaches for the procurement of membrane equipment
are summarized. Finally, this manual covers operation of properly designed MBR
facilities.
This Manual of Practice was produced under the direction of Glen T. Daigger,
Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, NAE, Chair, and Adrienne Menniti, Ph.D., Vice-Chair.

The principal authors of this Manual of Practice are as follows:

Chapter 1 Adrienne Menniti, Ph.D.

Sara Arabi, Ph.D.
Glen T. Daigger, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, NAE
Fred R. Gaines, P.E., BCEE
Chapter 2 Jill M. Hudkins, P.E.
Peter Aerts, Ph.D.
Jonathan C. Bundy, P.E.
Michael Schmidt, P.E.
Mark Wilf, Ph.D.
Chapter 3 Ufuk G. Erdal, Ph.D. , P.E.
Pierre Bérubé, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Soubhagya Kumar Pattanayak
Hannah Wilner, P.E.

xxiii

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 xxiv Preface

Chapter 4 Jeff Peeters, M.Eng., P.Eng.

Ana Calderon, P.Eng.
Jason Diamond, P.Eng.
Carsten Owerdieck
Bikram S. Sabherwal, P.E.
Cindy Wallis-Lage, P.E.
Chapter 5 Val S. Frenkel, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE
Andre Gharagozian, P.E.
Aileen Kondo, P.E.
Roderick D. Reardon, Jr., P.E.
Nelson J. Schlater, P.E.
Chapter 6 Nelson J. Schlater, P.E.
Val S. Frenkel, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE
Jeff Peeters, M.Eng., P.Eng.
Chapter 7 Anthony D. Greiner, P.E., CCM
Dave N. Commons
Enrique Vadiveloo, P.E.
David S. Wolf, P.E.
Appendix A Adrienne Menniti, Ph.D.
Appendix B Adrienne Menniti, Ph.D.
Sara Arabi, Ph.D.

Chapter 2 and Appendix B of this manual were supported by material developed

by a task group of the Membranes Community of Practice:

Randall S. Booker, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.

Val S. Frenkel, Ph.D., P.E, D.WRE
Dennis C. Livingston, P.E.
Henryk Melcer
Marie-Laure Pellegrin, Ph.D., P.E.
Paul M. Sutton
Cindy Wallis-Lage, P.E.

Authors’ and reviewers’ efforts were supported by the following organizations:

AECOM, Atlanta, Georgia, and Orlando, Florida

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 Preface xxv

Black & Veatch Corporation, Alpharetta, Georgia, and Kansas City, Missouri
Brown & Caldwell, Denver, Colorado, and Seattle, Washington
Carollo Engineers, Walnut Creek, California, and Winter Park, Florida
CDM, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and San Antonio, Texas
CH2M Hill, Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; Englewood, Colorado; Henderson,
Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Santa Ana, California; and Toronto, Ontario,
Canada
City of North Las Vegas, Nevada
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA), Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Dewberry, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Dow Water & Process Solutions, Midland, Michigan
GE Water & Process Technologies, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
GHD, Bowie, Maryland
Hazen and Sawyer, P.C., Charlotte, North Carolina, and Hollywood, Florida
HDR Engineering Inc., Folsom, California, and Tampa, Florida
Ion Exchange (India) Ltd.
JJ&G Services, A Jacobs Company, Norcross, Georgia
Jones Edmunds & Associates, Inc., Gainesville, Florida
Kemira Oyj, Helsinki, Finland
Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, San Francisco, California
Koch Membrane Systems, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Malcolm Pirnie, Atlanta, Georgia
Nalco Company, Naperville, Illinois
Ovivo USA, LLC
PB Americas, Inc., Tampa, Florida
Praxair Inc., Burr Ridge, Illinois
Reiss Engineering, Inc., Orlando, Florida
Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota
Tetra Tech, Inc., Huntsville, Alabama; Pasadena, California; and Orlando,
Florida
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Veolia Water, Orinda, California

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