What Is A Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)? What Are Membrane Bioreactors Used For?

What Is A Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)?

A Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) combines membrane filtration techniques such as microfiltration or ultrafiltration with a biological treatment method known as the activated sludge process.

This technology is commonly used for treating both municipal and industrial wastewater. There are two main types of MBR systems: the submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) and the side stream membrane bioreactor.

In an SMBR, the membrane is placed inside the biological reactor and submerged in the wastewater, while in a side stream membrane bioreactor, the membrane is placed outside the reactor, as an additional step following the biological treatment.

What Is Difference Between MBR And MBBR?

The MBR process is highly sensitive and expensive to operate and maintain, and requires chemicals for membrane cleaning.

It uses biological breakdown and physical separation to purify water and has a higher concentration of bacteria than other systems like FBBR and MBBR.

The system requires regular maintenance and servicing, and the membrane needs to be replaced occasionally.

However, it has a smaller sludge production and no sludge settlement is required, saving space.

In contrast, the MBBR system only uses bacteria for purification and requires sludge settlement, but has lower operational expenses.

What Are Membrane Bioreactors Used For?

Membrane bioreactors have been utilized for a wide range of applications in recent years, including the production of food, biofuels, amino acids, antibiotics, proteins, and fine chemicals, as well as the removal of pollutants and treatment of wastewater.

The treatment of industrial, municipal, and domestic wastewater is currently the most significant application of membrane bioreactors, with over 400 full-scale MBRs built in Europe alone and more expected to be constructed in the future.

What Are The Advantages Of MBR?

The advantages of the membrane bioreactor (MBR) process include the ability to control the solids retention time (SRT) independently from the hydraulic retention time (HRT), resulting in high-quality effluent with reduced pathogen concentration, a smaller plant footprint, and better biotreatment overall.

Additionally, MBRs are especially effective at the biological removal of ammonia and are often used in applications where high-quality treated water is required or space is limited. However, it should be noted that MBR technology can sometimes be more expensive than other solutions.