MABR & Sludge Reduction 

The activated sludge process 

The activated sludge process is one of the most widely used wastewater treatment processes. It successfully treats municipal and industrial wastewater globally. While there are many benefits to the process it has high operational costs due to both the energy required for the process and the volume of sludge produced.

A treatment method that can help reduce the amount of sludge produced will have massive benefits to the industry.

Sludge is the residue generated during the treatment of wastewater. It is a major environmental challenge for wastewater treatment plants as they need to ensure they correctly disposal of excess sludge produced during the process. Safe and long-term solutions for the destination of sludge produced by wastewater treatment plants are a vital element of a sustainable functioning facility. MABR technology may considerably reduce the volume of sludge produced during the treatment process in applications where deployment of MABR modules results in a significantly longer sludge age when compared to the original process.

OxyMem MABR and Sludge Production

A key advantage of the OxyMem MABR system is it is an aerobic system that can achieve the same or in some cases better effluent quality of an activated sludge system without the need to use bubbles - a highly energy intensive process. Instead oxygen is provided, through dense silicone membranes, fueling the biomass which grows as a biofilm on the membrane.

On treatment plants where an increase in sludge age can result in less waste sludge, MABR might prove a viable and effective upgrade. With the high inventory attached biomass in an OxyMem MABR system there tends to be a much lower concentration of suspended solids in the bulk liquid. Consider both OxyFAS and OxyFILM arrangement.

There are many benefits for a treatment plant where the volume of sludge can be reduced.
-Less pumping is required
-Less sludge to store, transport and disposal off
-Fewer sludge tankers on the road