From Guest Blogger Jayde Ferguson: Five Benefits of the Membrane Bioreactor Wastewater Treatment Process

Water usage, and its effect on the environment, is a hot topic in Australia. Between 2014 and 2015, it was estimated that 76,140 gigalitres of water were required to support the country’s economy and infrastructure. This places a great deal of strain on our natural landscape. To reduce these effects on the environment, alternative sources are required, such as reclaimed water from effluence.

As of 2004, 87% of Australians were connected to a wastewater collecting system, translating to a vast scope for reclamation projects across the country. For these projects, efficient, reliable, green, and inexpensive water treatment solutions are required.

These solutions include the Membrane Bioreactor, or MBR, which uses microorganisms within a bioreactivity chamber to filter waste effluent as it passes through. All sludge solids on a macro level are retained in the bioreactor, while the membrane filters out microscopic impurities and toxins. The top benefits of MBR in the treatment of wastewater are discussed below:

Exceptional Pathogen Removal

Once wastewater is filtrated through the bioreactor, it emerges through the membrane on the other side. This part of the process is a simple filtering one; the pathogens in the water cannot fit through the pores in the membrane, and so remain in the bioreactor until they are adequately broken down.

The MBR utilises a membrane with incredibly small pores, providing highly effective filtration and pathogen removal. The membrane’s pores are less than 0.5 micrometres (µm) across or less than half of 1/1000th of a millimetre, making them highly efficient.

Comprehensively Effective Treatment

The efficacy of the wastewater treatment is actually even more comprehensive than this. As water particles take time to pass through the bioreactor and exit via the membrane, the solid retention times – or SRTs – are relatively high when compared to other treatments.

During this extended SRT period, the growth of additional micro-organisms occurs, which may not have time to develop during slower treatments. This makes the MRB a highly effective method for removing ammonia and other compounds which contaminate the water.

Versatile Applications for Effluent

Once the effluent has been treated and has exited the reactor, it must be reclaimed. Thanks to the long SRT mentioned above, and to the extremely fine nature of the membrane, the water produced by the process receives an A+ rating, rendering it suitable for human contact – but not for human consumption.

The water can then be used in general utilities and in other applications, including toilet flushing on domestic and commercial properties and urban irrigation.

Highly Efficient Treatment Process

The MRB method represents a sort of hybrid of two different water treatment options. On the one hand, the process uses organic compounds to biodegrade matter within the effluent, while on the other, the membrane provides a simple solids/liquids separation element.

Working in tandem, these two features make for far more efficient and comprehensively effective procedures, supporting the efforts of water treatment plants. This results in treatment plants which are able to cut costs while also better serving the local community, eliminating the need for expensive secondary and tertiary treatments.

Environmentally Friendly Plant Procedures

This final point brings us almost full circle, back to the environmental concern of extracting vast amounts of water from the environment each year. A highly effective water reclamation from effluent method, like the one provided by an MBR, significantly eases the pressure placed on water tables, both on a local and on a nationwide level.

In addition, bioreactors harness organic energy when breaking down the compounds in the waste effluent. While the reactors do also use auxiliary electrical systems, MBRs require very little power or non-renewable energy during operation. This reduces the carbon footprint of the water treatment plant, ensuring effective water reclamation without the environmental damage.

Author Bio

This article is written by Jayde Ferguson, who writes for Tristar Water Solutions – a water and waste water treatment company in Western Australia. You can catch her on Google+.