Low Flow Design of Package Membrane Bioreactor Systems for Total Nitrogen Removal

Valued qualities such as portability, small footprint, fast start up, and high effluent quality have made package membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems a preferred technology for decentralized wastewater treatment applications. Although package MBR systems have many advantages for decentralized applications there remains design challenges for applications combining low flow conditions with total nitrogen removal.This paper reveals the major challenges related to design of package MBR systems for total nitrogen removal during low flow conditions and offers design methods to overcome these challenges. Implementation of these methods can minimize post construction changes to equipment and process configurations which will reduce system downtime and project costs. The King William package MBR system will be used as an example of the successful use of these low flow design methods for a package MBR system required to achieve total nitrogen removal.