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Biological processes
Biological treatment can be aerobic, anoxic or anaerobic depending on whether oxygen is present. Most biological wastewater treatment schemes are aerobic and based on the conventional/classical activated sludge (CAS) process, from which MBRs are adapted.
Classical wastewater treatment
Biotreatment processes
HRT, SRT, OLR, F:M ratio
Nutrient removal: N&P
Sludge properties: biological
Sludge properties: rheological
Membrane processes
MBR processes can be configured as immersed or sidestream, and the membranes as flat sheet, hollow fiber or multi-tube. Membranes can also be employed as a 'polishing' step downstream of the biological process, rather than integrated with it as an MBR.
Membrane filtration technology
Polymeric membranes
Ceramic membranes
Flux, TMP, permeability and shear
Process and membrane configurations
Hybrid MBR processes
Polishing wastewater
Emerging membrane technologies
Media processes
Media processes in wastewater treatment can be based on either agitated or fixed media and be aerated actively or passively, with active aeration applied to submerged media (or 'flooded filters'). Example processes include MBBRs, SAF, BAF and IFAS.
Media/fixed-film processes
TFs and RBCs
BAFs and SAFs
IFAS and MBBRs
UASBs
Credit: Sperta
MABRs
A membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) is an aerobic biological treatment process where the biofilm is fixed to the membrane surface. The membrane additionally permits highly efficient oxygen mass transfer into the biofilm for enhanced biotreatment.
MABRs vs oxygenation
MABRs vs MBRs
MABRs vs MBBRs
Introduction to MBRs
An MBR is a wastewater treatment process where membrane separation is integrated with a biological activated sludge process to completely retain the biological solids (or biomass). The perm-selective membrane replaces the conventional settlement stage.
What are membrane bioreactors?
Membranes vs conventional technologies
MBRs vs conventional technologies
Advantages of MBRs
MBR applications
MBR components
Polymeric membranes
Ceramic membranes
Anaerobic MBRs
MABRs
MBR and Sludge glossary
MBR materials and configurations
MBR membranes can take one of three module configurations: flat sheet (FS), hollow fibre (HF) and multitube or multichannel (MT/MC). MBR process take one of two configurations: immersed and sidestream. Biotreatment can be aerobic, anoxic and/or anaerobic.
MBR membrane configurations
Flat sheets
Hollow fibres
Multitubes
Polymeric membranes
Ceramic membranes
Immersed and sidestream processes
Biotreatment processes
Credit: Roman Gasull
Designing an MBR
The design of an MBR system relates to the configuration of the membrane (hollow fibre, flat sheet or tubular), the membrane separation process (immersed or sidestream), and the biological process (aerobic, anaerobic and/or anoxic - often in combination).
Fundamentals of MBR design
MBRs vs conventional technologies
Flux, TMP, permeability and shear
Dead end vs crossflow
Process and membrane aeration
Process and membrane selection
Wastewater treatment modelling
Pretreatment: screening and degritting
Ancillary equipment
Containerised plants
MBR costs
MBR OPEX components comprise the energy consumption, staffing requirements, membrane replacement, chemicals consumption, and waste management and disposal. The most significant of these is the energy consumption incurred by membrane and process aeration.
MBR costs − an overview
Aeration costs
Sludge pumping costs
Membrane permeation costs
Calculating whole life costs
Energy consumption
Labour and other costs
Municipal MBRs
The vast majority of the wastewater treatment capacity provided by MBRs worldwide is for municipal wastewater treatment. Target treated water quality parameters can include nutrients and pathogens, alongside suspended solids, organic carbon and ammonia.
MBRs for municipal wastewater treatment
MBRs for reclamation and reuse
MBR global capacity
Largest MBR plants worldwide
Credit: Containerised MBR plant, Wehrle
Industrial MBRs
Compared with municipal effluents, industrial effluents tend to have higher and more widely fluctuating concentrations of organic matter than in municipal effluents. The organics are also generally less biodegradable, relected in the lower BOD/COD ratios.
MBRs for industrial WW treatment
Installing an industrial MBR
Petroleum
Marine
Food and beverage
Pharmaceuticals
Landfill leachate
Pulp and paper
Textiles
Operation & maintenance
MBR O&M parameters on the membrane side include flux, permeability, membrane aeration rate and physical and chemical cleaning cycle protocols. On the biological side, O&M parameters include the hydraulic and solids retention time and sludge recycle rate.
Membrane side O&M
Biological side O&M
Membrane cleaning
Membrane integrity
Pollutant removal
Membrane bioreactors offer increased removal of most pollutants compared with the conventional activated sludge process. This is because of both intensified biological treatment and filtration of the mixed liquor through a <0.1 µm pore size membrane.
Pollutant removal in MBRs
Nutrient removal: N&P
Micropollutants
Trace organic compounds
Microplastics and nanoplastics
Pathogens and disinfection
MBR challenges
The key challenges imposed by MBR technologies relate largely to the complexities of operating the membrane separation component. These become more evident when the installed pretreatment is insufficiently rigorous, leading to various clogging phenomena.
What can go wrong in an MBR?
Membrane fouling
Foaming
Clogging: sludging and ragging
Directories
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MBR technology suppliers
MBR membrane products
MBR consultants and contractors
MBR case studies
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Knowledge Hub
Our MBR Knowledge Hub collates technical information from expert practitioners and operators, specialist companies and academics, all experienced in membrane bioreactor technology. Search our technical features, The MBR Blog and our growing list of research abstracts for information on troubleshooting, case studies, costs, research and more.
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Technical features
The MBR blog
Videos
Research papers
Surveys
MBR Glossary
JuddWater YouTube channel
Sludge Processing
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Credit: Sludge gravity thickener
Sludge basics
For conventional wastewater applications, the two main sludge streams are from the primary sedimentation and secondary biological treatment stages of wastewater treatment scheme, respectively called primary sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS).
What is sludge?
What are biosolids?
What is sludge treatment?
Sludge treatment theory
Gravitation and sedimentation
Centrifugation
Filtration
Sludge stabilisation and conditioning
Sludge stabilisation processes reduce its odour and putrescence and its level of pathogenic organisms. Conditioning refers to the pre-treatment required in sludge thickening and dewatering processes, to assist the separation of the water from the solids.
About sludge stabilisation
Alkaline stabilisation
Lime and solids dosing
About sludge conditioning
Chemical sludge conditioning
Thermal sludge conditioning
Aerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion is an extensively-used process which provides biological stabilisation of the sludge in the absence of air. The bioreactor generates a biogas containing methane, which is converted to both thermal and electrical energy for use on site.
The anaerobic digestion process
How does anaerobic digestion work?
Pretreatment for anaerobic digestion
Designing anaerobic digestion systems
Operating an anaerobic digester
Challenges to anaerobic digestion
Managing anaerobic digestion biogas
Digestate management
Supernatant management
Sludge thickening
Thickening processes remove water from the sludge by mechanical means to reduce its volume while leaving a pumpable product. Processes used are relatively low in energy and include sedimentation, dissolved air flotation, centrifugation and draining.
Introduction to sludge thickening
Gravity thickening
Dissolved air flotation thickening
Gravity belt thickening
Rotary drum thickening
Centrifugal thickening
Membrane thickening processes
Sludge dewatering
Sludge dewatering employs various processes, including centrifugation and pressing, to reduce the sludge moisture content by mechanical means. The energy reqirement is higher than that of thickening processes and the end product lower in moisture.
Introduction to sludge dewatering
Belt filter presses
Screw presses
Filter presses
Rotary presses
Centrifugal dewatering
Sludge drying beds and lagoons
Electro-dewatering
Sludge drying
Drying of sludge is employed to reduce its moisture content. It demands a heat source, usually from either an upstream anaerobic digester or a downstream thermochemical process. Drying is often needed to sustain operation of downstream incineration.
Introduction to sludge drying
Properties of drying sludge
Sludge drying operation
Sludge dryer configurations
Conductive sludge dryers
Convective sludge dryers
Solar dryers
Sludge thermochemical treatment
Thermochemical methods are used to either significantly reduce the sludge solids content, whilst also capturing the sludge latent energy from its organic carbon content, or upstream of anaerobic digestion to increase the organic carbon biodegradability.
Sludge thermochemical treatment − an overview
Sludge thermochemical reactor design configurations
Incineration of sludge
Pyrolysis of sludge
Gasification of sludge
Hydrothermal processes

Biological processes

Membrane processes

Media processes

MABRs

Introduction to MBRs

MBR materials and configurations

Designing an MBR

MBR costs

Municipal MBRs

Industrial MBRs

Operation & maintenance

Pollutant removal

MBR challenges

Directories

Knowledge Hub

Sludge basics

Sludge stabilisation and conditioning

Anaerobic digestion

Sludge thickening

Sludge dewatering

Sludge drying

Sludge thermochemical treatment

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