Represented by: Manufactured by:

Overview Conventional Wastewater Process Overview MBR Technology Overview Review Existing Immersed MBR Technology Overview External MBR Technology MiniMBR™ Operating Principal Design Confirmation and Testing

Conventional Treatment Plant Tertiary Filtration

Biological Treatment

Effluent

Headworks

Grit/Screenings Reject

WAS

RAS

Post Aeration

Disinfection

Influent

Secondary Clarification

Oxic Anoxic

Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)

Effluent

Post Aeration

Disinfection

WAS

Influent

Grit/Screenings

Biological Treatment

Headworks Membrane Separation

Oxic Anox

Typical MBR Advantages Liquid/solid separation does not depend on

gravity –process flexibility (high MLSS) Long SRT without long HRT – reduced excess

sludge production Small footprint

Eliminates secondary clarifiers and filters Aeration basins can be 60-80 % smaller

Ability to retrofit and upgrade existing facilities MBR can produce very high quality effluent to

meet reuse quality standards.

Membrane Basics A very thin polymeric coating or layer with engineered

pore size Applied to a backing material for strength Acts like a high tech filter Provides an absolute barrier to particles larger than the

pore size Used in a wide variety of liquid/solid separation

applications

Membrane Separation Chart

Microns

Angstroms

Molecular Weight

Typical Contaminant

Sizes

Membrane Type

10 100 1,000 10,000

200 20,000 100,000 500,000 5,000

Proteins Bacteria

Paint Pigments Carbon Black

Emulsions

Colloidal Materials

Metal Ions Sugars

Aqueous Salts

Reverse Osmosis Microfiltration

0.001 0.01 0.1 1.0

Ultrafiltration

Immersed MBR Technology Hollow Fiber Membranes

Immersed MBR Technology Flat Sheet Membranes

Immersed MBR Technology No longer unproven –

widely accepted technology to produce high quality effluent

Market is growing rapidly Immersed membrane

systems (membranes submerged in MLSS) have been most widely used to date

Immersed technology driven by operating cost AIR AIR

WAS MLSS RECYCLE

PERMEATE BIOREACTOR

Immersed MBR System - Issues

In basin air scouring uses significant amounts of air and energy

Air scour adversely affects BNR process control Membrane access and maintenance issues Membrane fouling and cleaning Membrane life and “ruggedness”

Immersed MBR Technology

Access to membranes for cleaning, repair and service must be properly engineered into the system

What is an ideal SMALL MBR? Reliable, stable biological process Rugged long lasting membrane Easy access to membranes without “getting dirty” Operate at high flux and permeability for

extended periods Automatic cleaning – low operator attention Low operating cost – biological and membrane

system

External MBR Technology External MBR’s have

been around since the late 1970’s

Mostly small flows due to high capital cost and high operating cost

Cross-flow tubular membrane systems were most widely used due to ruggedness vs hollow fibers

Tubular Membrane Design Inside-out permeate flow

pattern Wide channel, non-

clogging design 5.2 mm inside dia. UF (0.03 micron nominal

pore size) PVDF membrane Strong, woven polyester

backing

MLSS

Permeate

Tubular Membrane Design Inside-out permeate flow

pattern Wide channel, non-

clogging design 5.2 mm inside dia. UF (0.03 micron nominal

pore size) PVDF membrane Strong, woven polyester

backing

Typical MBR Issues Energy consumption High capital cost Skilled operator required External membrane systems typically are cost

competitive for smaller plants, those between 5,000 gpd – 200,000 gpd

Immersed membrane systems are typically more cost competitive for plants >200,000 gpd

Until now, no MBR systems on the market were cost-effective for

plants under 5,000 gpd!

MiniMBR™ Unique membrane

arrangement lowers operating costs

Rugged and proven tubular membranes

Easy accessibility Automatic cleaning Operates on single

phase power

MiniMBR™ MicroScreen Low solids loading Low hydraulic loading Easy periodic cleaning No moving parts Easy operator access

MiniMBR™ Unique membrane

arrangement lowers operating costs

Typical Plant Layout for MiniMBR™

MiniMBR™ Typical Design MLSS = 8,000 to 12,000+ mg/l SRT – varies depending on application Ave Net Flux = 10- 30 GFD Peak Net Flux = 30-40 GFD TMP = 0.8 - 4.0 psig Automatic Backwash – 3-5 seconds every 5-10

minutes Soak Clean in Place – once per month

MiniMBR™ Typical Effluent Results BOD < 1 mg/l TSS < 1 mg/l Ortho Phosphorous < 0.1 mg/l (if required) Total Nitrogen < 3.0 mg/l (if required) >4 log virus barrier (with 0.03 micron ultrafilter) >6 log bacteria barrier Ideal pre-treatment process prior to RO, UV, GAC

or other polishing treatment steps for complete recycling of wastewater

MiniMBR™ Conclusions Tubular membrane configuration can be applied

economically to MBR applications Use of two-phase flow in vertically oriented tubular

membranes: Provides effective membrane cleaning and maintains

high flux rate and permeability Allows aeration turn-down for enhanced denitrification Significantly reduces the operating cost associated with

external membrane designs

Represented by: Manufactured by:

Questions?