E X E C U T IsVummary
Project 98-CTS-5
E Membrane Bioreactors: Feasibility
Collection & Treatment
B e n efits
Demonstrates the feasibility and
application of an emerging technology,
the membrane bioreactor (MBR)
process, for wastewater treatment and
water reclamation.
Evaluates the effluent water quality
of the MBR process and compares it to
the effluent quality from a convention-
al treatment plant.
Explores the critical operation limits
of the MBR process, including sludge
and hydraulic retention times.
Identifies potential problems of
MBR operation.
Develops preliminary cost estimates
of the MBR process and compares it to
conventional processes that can pro-
duce water suitable to reverse osmosis
membranes for water reclamation.
Related Research Products
Membrane Technology: An Innovative
Alternative in Wastewater Treatment
(stock no. D00303)
Contractor
Samer Adham, Ph.D., Principal
Investigator
R. Shane Trussell, Project Engineer,
Montgomery Watson
Water Environment
Research Foundation
and Use in Water Reclamation
In an effort to reduce reliance on limited conventional water supplies, many
municipalities and industries are becoming increasingly interested in the development
of alternative water sources, such as water reclamation. Many of these municipalities
and industries are also interested in evaluating new and emerging technologies for
municipal wastewater treatment which might provide cost advantages for water recla-
mation projects. Prominent among these technologies is the membrane bioreactor
(MBR), in which a membrane is substituted for the sedimentation process of an acti-
vated sludge system. MBRs can also substitute for secondary effluent filtration and
other tertiary-level solids removal processes. The MBR process submerges hollow
fiber membranes directly into an activated sludge aeration basin, thereby eliminating
the need for a secondary clarifier and a tertiary filter.
This report summarizes operating and water quality data obtained over one year
from two MBR pilot plant units on domestic wastewater at the Aqua 2000 Research
Center located at the City of San Diego (California) North City Plant. The report also
provides a preliminary cost estimate which compares costs of an MBR process to
conventional technology for a 1 MGD scalping wastewater treatment plant producing
reclaimed water that meets California wastewater reclamation criteria and is suitable
for feeding to a reverse osmosis (RO) system. Results indicate that MBR effluent
water quality was superior to the quality of full-scale tertiary conventional wastewater
treatment plan. Preliminary cost estimates show that this process could be the most
cost-effective alternative for water reclamation where demineralization is required.
Pilot Studies
The two MBR pilot units used in this test were designed by the project team and
constructed by Lakota Engineered Systems, San Diego, Calif. A simplified process
diagram of the pilot plant units is shown in Figure 1. In each process tank, 4
ZeeWeed-10 modules (Zenon Corp.) were submerged in the aeration basin and
operated under vacuum pressure at a constant flux. The ZW-10 modules were ultrafilters
Project Team Project Subcommittee
Paul Gagliardo, P.E. James Crook, Ph.D., P.E., DEE
City of San Diego Chair/Research Council Liaison
CH2MHill
David Jenkins, Ph.D.
David Jenkins and Associates Inc. Donald Brown
R. Rhodes Trussell, Ph.D., P.E. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Montgomery Watson Paul Pitt
Consultant
Roger Stephenson, Ph.D., P.E.
Montgomery Watson Robin Hirano, P.E.
Limtiaco Consulting Group
Paul T. Sun, Ph.D., P.E.
Equilon Enterprises LLC
George Tchobanoglous, Ph.D.
Tchobanoglous Inc.
Membrane Bioreactors: Feasibility and Use in Water Reclamation
Figure 1. Simplified Schematic of the Pilot MBR Units
Overflow CIP
Tank Tank
Where,
(1) QF = QT
(2) QCIP = 1.5*QP
(3) QP = constant
Bioreactor
with a nominal pore size of 0.035 m. Each ZW-10 test mod-
ule had an outside-in hollow fiber configuration with a neutral-
ly charged, hydrophilic membrane and a total surface area of
10 ft2 (0.93 m2). Both of the MBR pilot plant units were
designed to meet the manufacturers design specifications for
ZW-10 modules.
Throughout the entire testing period,
the two MBRs consistently produced
water which resulted in non-detect
BOD5 levels while nitrifying.
The MBR pilot units were evaluated over a wide range of
operating conditions. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) ranged
from 4 to 1.5 h; sludge retention time (SRT) was varied from
infinite or no sludge-wasting to 1.5 d; mixed liquor sus-
pended solids (MLSS) concentrations were in the range of 940
mg/L to 29,400 mg/L, the organic loading rates from 1.03x105
to 2.75x105 lb BOD5/ 103 ft3 d, and the food to microorganism
ratio varied from 0.03 to 1.10 lb BOD5 per lb of volatile sus-
pended solids per day. The water quality produced by the MBR
pilot plants was compared to that produced by the full-scale
tertiary conventional wastewater treatment of the same primary
effluent fed to the MBRs.
During the entire testing period, very little membrane foul-
ing occurred. The maximum MLSS concentration that allowed
stable operation without membrane fouling was 20,000 mg/L.
The minimum SRT for stable operation without fouling was
determined at 1.5 to 2 days.
Conclusions
The overall water quality results obtained from the MBR
pilot testing demonstrated the consistency and reliability of the
effluent produced from this process. Throughout the entire peri-
od of testing, regardless of operating conditions, the two MBRs
EXECUTIVE summary
consistently produced water which resulted in non-detect BOD5
levels while nitrifying. The MBRs provided an average COD
removal of greater than 90 percent and TOC removal of more
than 80 percent. The effluent turbidities were consistently
below 0.2 NTU and averaged 0.1 NTU throughout the testing
period. Both MBRs demonstrated that their effluent was suit-
able to be fed directly into a reverse osmosis (RO) process
from a particulate standpoint, with silt density index (SDI) val-
ues averaging well below 3. The MBR effluent water quality
was superior to the quality of the full-scale tertiary convention-
al wastewater treatment plant.
When uncompromised, the MBR systems demonstrated that
they were capable of removing greater than 5 logs of total and
fecal coliform. In addition, the MBRs proved to be able to con-
sistently remove 4 to 5 logs of the indigenous coliphage. To
contrast the performance of the MBR permeate, total coliform,
fecal coliform, and indigenous coliphage analyses were also
performed on the tertiary effluent from the full-scale plant. The
full-scale NCWRP (activated sludge + tertiary filters) removed
2 logs of total coliforms, 3 logs of fecal coliforms, and 2 to 3
logs of coliphage from the primary effluent.
The preliminary cost estimate included in this report was per-
formed for a 1 MGD scalping facility producing an effluent suit-
able as feedwater for an RO process. Based on this preliminary
cost estimate, the present worth value is $3.05/Kgal, $3.65/Kgal,
and $4.38/Kgal for the MBR process, oxidation ditch with
microfiltration, and oxidation ditch with conventional tertiary
lime pre-treatment, respectively. This cost data demonstrates that
the MBR process is the most cost-effective alternative for water
reclamation where demineralization (RO) is required.
The research on which this report is based was funded, in part,
by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
through Cooperative Agreement No. CR825237 with the Water
Environment Research Foundation (WERF). Unless an EPA
logo appears on the cover, this report is a publication of
WERF, not EPA. Funds awarded under the Cooperative
Agreement cited above were not used for editorial services,
reproduction, printing, or distribution.
Subscribers, order your complimentary copy of this
report by calling (703) 684-2470. Additional copies are
available at $10 each. Or visit WERFs website at
www.werf.org and click on Products.
This report is available to WEF members and non-members
by calling the WEF Customer Service Center at
(800) 666-0206.
Refer to stock number D13000. 8/01