Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology in general and EMM-MBBR in particular has revolutionised water and wastewater treatment technologies for water and wastewater treatments with capabilities in biological treatments and savings in resources. The use of EnviroMixer Media (EMM) media has uplifted the MBBR capabilities to a higher level due to EMM’s configuration.
As one navigates the complexities of water and wastewater purification and waste management and the array of technologies on offer, understanding the intricacies of MBBR systems, a vital wastewater treatment process becomes crucial. Let us explore the unparalleled benefits of EMM-MBBR, from its high efficiency and low maintenance to its adaptability to various industries.
Key Takeaways
- EMM-MBBR technology in wastewater treatment process is compact, efficient, and adaptable to various wastewater types, leveraging the benefits of biofilm carriers for improved performance.;
- EMM-MBBR systems offer high efficiency, low maintenance demands, able to withstand variable loadings without affecting system efficiency and easy to operate;
- EMM-MBBR technology is applicable to municipal and industrial wastewater treatments, and treatments of special wastewaters, e.g., landfill leachates and hospital wastewater;
- Envirosource in Malaysia pioneers the Enviroammanox® process using proprietary EMM media for efficient wastewater and leachate treatments.
Overview of MBBR WasteWater Treatment
MBBR technology, a cutting-edge process for wastewater treatment, leverages on the growth of biofilms, which are layers of bacterial cells growing on media surfaces held fast by a mesh of bacterial biopolymers. The biofilms grow on small, specialized plastic carriers or media, that move within an aerated tank system. The EMM media in EMM-MBBR was designed to be of same density as water when laden with biofilms (i.e., buoyant), thus move freely within the water streams, while the EMM configuration offers aerobic and anoxic regions, thus enabling both oxidative and reductive reactions to occur, providing greater biodegradative capabilities. Being buoyant and designed to offer self-mixing, the EMM media are constantly in motion, due to aeration and water streams, ensuring that they come in contact with pollutants and receive sufficient oxygen.
The reductive and oxidative biodegradation capabilities offered by EMM media are essential to counter the various recalcitrant organics in industrial effluents, leachates, contaminated waters, etc. on the other hand, the aerobic and anoxic regions on the EMM also function as protective regions that prevent bacterial washout; one of the most common problems leading to low performance of conventional systems. The self-mixing and self-cleaning properties of EMM means active bacteria is maintained, while dead bacteria is sloughed off, and the reactor configuration is of low maintenance, without troublesome sieves. The biofilms concentrate bacteria, thus the EMM-MBBR process is compact with small space requirement, inherently stable and able to cope with shock loads, without bulking. This makes it ideal for industrial estates and urban centres where space is premium. Moreover, the system is scalable; treatment capacity may be expanded by adding more media to the system, ensuring that the investment is adaptable and future-proof.
Benefits of EMM-MBBR Technology
High Efficiency:
- Improved organic reduction rates, with higher organic loadings to better accommodate expansions;
- Effective biodegradation and removal of complex and recalcitrant organics to comply to discharge standard;
- Effective nitrogen removal to facilitate water reuse, a testament to the efficiency of biological treatment systems.
Compact Design and Easy Operation:
- Smaller footprint compared to conventional systems, giving savings in capital, aeration and land costs;
- Easy to convert existing tanks to EMM-MBBR tanks, to accomodate higher loadings;
- Easier to operate than conventional systems due to robustness, higher stability to changes and fluctuations, and no bulking;
- Media EMM in EMM-MBBR is self-cleaning and long lasting, without need for replacement, greatly saves on maintenance costs.
EMM-MBBR Water and Wastewater Treatment in Malaysia
While exploring the global applications of MBBR technology, it’s worth noting that in Malaysia, Envirosource Sdn Bhd1 has pioneered the Enviroammanox® process, which utilizes their exclusive EMM media to enhance the growth of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and organics degraders for efficient water and wastewater treatment. Among successful applications are shown here:
Envirosource Leachate Treatment Process
Leachate is a complex wastewater containing recalcitrant organics and high ammonia concentrations. Envirosource’s Enviroammanox® Process revolutionizes leachate treatment by efficiently breaking down stubborn organics and removing ammonia, ensuring compliance of treated effluent with stringent environmental standards. The process has been successfully applied to both fresh leachate at transfer stations (e.g., Kuala Lumpur Transfer Station) as well as leachates from landfills (amongst which are: Langkawi Belanga Pecah, Simpang Renggam, Bukit Payong, etc.) The EMM-MBBR process has successfully broken down recalcitrant organics that impart dark colour to the effluent. Check out this table that highlights the key benefits of the Enviroammanox® Process:
| Feature | Benefit | Impact on Treatment Process |
|---|---|---|
| Breakdown of Organics | Efficiently handles high COD levels | Improved effluent quality |
| Ammonia Removal | Reduces ammonia levels significantly | Meets discharge standards |
| Specialized Microbes | Ensures enrichment and acclimatization of effective microbes | Enhanced process stability |
| Biopolymers | Adsorbs recalcitrant organics | Greater removal efficiency |
Envirosource Water Treatment and Polishing Process
Due to EMM-MBBR compact configuration, coupled with ease of operation, the process has been selected to treat sewage to produce reusable water [e.g., Penang 180,000PE green STP], to polish treated effluent to meet strict discharge standard to inland rivers [e.g., Polishing plants for Kedah Rubber City STP and industries] and to pretreat contaminated river water before water intake at water treatment plants [e.g., Kinabenua WTP]
Envirosource POME Polishing Process
Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)’s well known high COD and BOD still leaves residual recalcitrant organics even after treatment by AD and aeration, rendering difficulty to consistently meet the BOD20 limit. Due to harbouring of acclimatised bacteria, the EMM-MBBR POME Polishing Process has successfully overcome this hurdle to consistently meet the BOD20 limit (e.g., at Lahad Datu plant)
Envirosource Wet Market Effluent Treatment and Polishing Process
Wet market (WM) effluents are notorious for fluctuating loads and contents of recalcitrant organics and ammonia. Due to capabilities of handling recalcitrant organics and nitrification-denitrification the EMM-MBBR has successfully treated and polished the WM effluents to meet the Malaysian Water Quality Standards and very strict River of Life (ROL) limits (e.g., at WMs in Kuala Lumpur’s Kuala Ampang, Pekan Ampang and Pandan Jaya).
Our brochure in relation to MBBR for wastewater treatment
Sewage Treatment via Envirosource’s EMM-MBBR EMMAS® Process
Envirosource Leachate Treatment Process (LTP) – Enviroammanox® Process
EnviroOrg® Process for high biodegradable organics and O&G effluent treatment