Membrane bioreactor technology is a wastewater treatment method that combines biological pollutant treatment with physical membrane separation. Over the last decade, it has increased commercial significance with applications and industrial wastewater treatment.
Here are some of the principles of Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater treatment:
1: It explains how membrane fouling and channel cleaning can impact plant operation. And how to optimize operating parameter values.
2: It facilitates step-by-step learning by users with numerous case studies, worked examples, and problems.
3: Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) is mainly taught as a part of Biological wastewater treatment.
4: High-Quality Effluent- The water, after being treated in the MBR, is exceptionally high-quality, and since all the biomatter, solids, and micro-organisms are filtered. The effluent is directly reusable or recyclable and can quickly release into the environment.
5: Independent HRT and SRT- Both the terms HRT and SRT stand for Hydraulic Retention Time and Sludge Retention Time. Since sludge solids are entirely retained in the bioreactor and unlike in CAS, the biomass needs to be flocs which they could settle and related to the retention of the liquid.
6: Small FootPrint- MRS only requires 50% less space than classical activated sludge. It also helps reduce the activated sludge treatment footprint by removing part of the liquid component of the mixed liquor. Also, the concentrated waste is then treated in the activated sludge process.
7: Consistent Performance- The organic content in the water can be much higher than in CAS. And the higher biomass concentration results in the effective removal of biodegradable materials.
8: Low Sludge production- Less sludge is produced, and it needs to be disposed of less frequently than in CAS.
9: The sludge contains a high solid content.
10: Effluent Quality- Improved effluent quality like biomass, including entrapped and absorbed inorganic and organic micro-pollutants, pathogens, and viruses. These are entirely retained in the biological system and subjected to a longer treatment time.
This advantage might be significant given the more stringent effluent quality. The advantage of improved effluent quality is even more evident for treated wastewaters reused in food-related processes.
11: Simpler Option
The final effluent quality is achieved by mechanical filtration, monitored by membrane pressures, and controlled by a PLC. Also, there is no necessity to carry out Sludge volume index tests which would have to be done daily for conventional systems.
Conclusion
Conventional systems are generally regarded as processes that adopt gravity separation or clarification to generate the secondary treatment standard. Such a process would naturally fall into two categories and these are- Activated Sludge Systems or Sequential Batch reactors are related to the discharge of treated waste waters coupled with the stringent standards you demand.
Water reuse requires the effluent plant to operate at a standard conventional means due to its reliance on gravity settlement. Both process elements are known for their fragility and unreliability. MBR overcomes all these operational problems, and at the same time, it generates effluent standards attainable by conventional means.
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)