MBBR Sewage Treatment Plant

thousands of polyethylene biofilm carriers operating in mixed motion within an aerated wastewater treatment basin.

MBBR Technology

MBBR technology employs thousands of polyethylene biofilm carriers operating in mixed motion within an aerated wastewater treatment basin. Each individual bio carrier increases productivity by providing a protected surface area of the 500-meter square to support the growth of heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria within its cells. It is this high-density the population of bacteria that achieves high-rate biodegradation within the system, while also offering process reliability and ease of operation.

This technology provides cost-effective treatment with minimal maintenance since MBBR processes self-maintain an optimum level of productive biofilm. Additionally, the biofilm attached to the mobile bio carriers within the system automatically responds to load fluctuations.

Process performance independent of the secondary clarifier

Activated sludge systems use recirculated sludge to increase their SRT. However, if there are issues in the separation that occurs in the clarifier, the return sludge can be of lower quality and affect the performance of the reactor. This is not an issue in MBBR systems because there is no need for recirculation being that it is a fixed-film system.

Improved settling characteristics

How well the reactor effluent settles in the clarifying tank can affect the quality of the treated water. This can be an issue in certain other biological treatment systems, but MBBR systems and their combined fixed film and suspended media qualities ensure that the solids settle out well, with little to no turbidity in the supernatant and low water content in the sludge.

Advantages

  • During the low organic loading operation, MBBR can achieve low sludge yield without having sludge bulking
  • The biofilm system is more resistant to the influent fluctuations and inhibitory substances in the water and thus it has a more stable outflow water quality.
  • The system is easy to operate and control. It is friendly to operators by saving time and effort on sludge management.
  • In the demands of low contaminants concentration and high water flow (ex: river water treatment, recirculating aquaculture system), MBBR is the most cost- effective and space-saving option among all the biological treatment processes.
  • While different water treatment systems demand a large space to be placed, MBBR wastewater treatment systems are compatible with a small footprint, which is almost 1/3rd of the space that other conventional biological wastewater system processes require such as activated sludge or SBR.
  • In comparison to other wastewater treatment systems, MBBR wastewater treatment is cost-efficient in its associated operation and maintenance expenses.