Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)

Envirogen Membrane Bioreactors combine an aerobic suspended growth-bioreactor with an external membrane liquid/solids separation unit to provide an advanced level of organic and suspended solids removal from wastewater streams. Following the biological treatment of the contaminated stream, the contents of the bioreactor (mixed liquor) are pumped to the membrane unit where the solids and liquids are separated, clean effluent discharged, and concentrated mixed liquor pumped back to the bioreactor.

US Patents: 9212074, 9862629

Envirogen offers both pre-engineered small to mid-size Membrane Bioreactor MBR systems as well as customized systems where our experts will specify the bioreactor size and pair with the ideal membrane system for peak performance in your application. System effluent can be recovered and reused or discharged.

Details of our pre-engineered Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) products

Membrane System Specifications

Low Flow/High Strength – 8 mm Tubular Membranes

• Flow range from 9000 to 27,000 Gallons per Day (6 to 19 GPM)
• 6.4 m2 surface area per module
• Single bank systems with 2 to 6 modules per bank

High Flow Systems – 8 mm Tubular Membranes with Helix Technology

• Flow range from 32,000 to 285,000 Gallons per Day (22 to 400 GPM)
• 27 m2 surface area per module
• 2 to 6 modules per bank
• Systems consist of 1 to 3 banks depending on flow requirements

MBR System Advantages

• High-quality effluent produced from a wide range of raw water conditions, suitable for re-use
• Degradation of recalcitrant chemical contaminants
• Small footprint

Biological Process Characteristics

• Maintains a high biomass concentration in the suspended-growth bioreactor
• High performance with mechanical simplicity, low operator demands, and a capability to treat difficult streams with changing compositions
• The external ultrafiltration membrane solids-liquids separation unit provides highly efficient biomass separation allowing the biomass concentration within the upstream reactor to be up to ten times greater than the concentration normally attainable in a conventional suspended growth system.

Membrane Characteristics

• Hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane on a polyester woven/non-woven carrier
• 0.03µm (30 nm) pore size (High Flow) and 0.01 µm (200 kD) pore size (Low Flow)
• Asymmetric microporous structure
• High performance and resistant to fouling
• Polyvinylchloride (PVC-C) membrane housings and piping
• Drinking water quality Potting EP resin
• Low Flow Modules – 4” x 3-meter (horizontally oriented)
• High Flow Modules – 8” x 3-meter (horizontally oriented)
• Optional – High Flow membrane elements can be backpulsed for efficient membrane cleaning and a higher average product flux

Download Membrane Bioreactors Datasheet

The Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) offers an excellent solution for in-process, at-source treatment applications and can be used in very demanding applications, including streams not commonly considered amenable to biotreatment.

The process is well-suited to:

• Wastewater or groundwater streams with recalcitrant organics
• High contaminant concentrations
• Highly variable influent composition
• For streams where system footprint is a concern

Applications for membrane bioreactors include batch chemical plant effluents, landfill leachate, chlorinated solvents in manufacturing wastewaters, publicly owned treatment works with space restrictions, phosphorus control and wastewater from pharmaceutical intermediate manufacture and food and beverage processing.

Membrane Bioreactor

MBR Product Datasheet