Full Scale MABR Experience: Intensification of Nutrient Removal and Energy Reduction

The membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) process is an innovative technology that has gained much interest in the past five years for the potential benefits it offers for a wide range of applications. The MABR process employs a gas permeable media to deliver oxygen to a biofilm that is attached to the surface of the media. Oxygen is delivered to the biofilm by molecular diffusion, without the use of bubbles. Benefits of the technology include the ability to perform aerobic treatment in an otherwise unaerated reactor, providing a resilient solution to augment nitrifying organisms, significantly reducing the energy required for oxygen transfer, and modularity that allows utilities to minimise capital expenditure. SUEZ’s ZeeLung MABR technology has been demonstrated at more than 20 municipal utilities at pilot or demonstration scale. The world’s two largest commercial MABR installations – the Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District in USA and Schilde in Belgium – were commissioned in 2018. The successful startup of these two full-scale plants paves the way for implementation of other full scale MABR systems.