Background:
In response to increasingly stringent effluent nutrient criteria resulting from deteriorating surface water quality, biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes have become increasingly popular. In BNR processes, nitrogen and phosphorus can be removed simultaneously. These BNR processes employ a combination of anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic suspended growth biological reactors. More recently, membrane bioreactors (MBR) have been introduced into this process. MBR technology is gaining promise in the municipal and industrial wastewater treatment market as it is now recognized for its ability to meet the stringent effluent criteria, it is easily retrofitted into existing systems, it requires less space than traditional systems and is proving to be more economical.
The size of the membrane bioreactor market has been estimated by Frost and Sullivan to be around US $42.2Million in 2002 with rapid growth expected. The World Bank estimates that US $600-800 Billion will have to be spent in water and wastewater treatment in the next ten years.
Description of the Invention:
Western inventors have designed a new, compact, highly efficient wastewater treatment process employing a MBR unit. This new process maximizes the available organic matter (COD) for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal. The unique configuration and employment of the MBR yield excellent removal of COD, TKN and P from municipal wastewater achieving effluent COD, BOD, TKN, NH3-N, NO3-N and TP concentrations of 14.3, 1.2, 0.26, 0.2, 5.8 and 0.13 mg/L.
Potential Advantages:
• Excellent effluent quality
• Reduced energy requirements due to reduced oxygen consumption
• Significant reduction in sludge volume and therefore reduced disposal costs
• Shorter hydraulic retention times compared to conventional BNR processes
Potential Applications:
• This technology will be of interest to those in the fields of water and wastewater treatment, biological nutrient removal from wastewater and membrane bioreactor technology
Patent / Development Status:
US Patent 7,326,343 issued.
