Evaluation of Newly Developed Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater Reclamation

Funded by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a pilot study is being conducted over a 1-year period to evaluate the performance of four newly developed Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) at the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant (PLWWTP) located in San Diego, CA. The four MBR systems tested include PURON™ MBR from Koch Membrane Systems, Huber VRM® Bioreactor from Huber Technology, Kruger Neosep™ MBR from Veolia Water and Dynalift™ MBR from Parkson Corporation. The primary objective of the pilot testing was to assess the water quality of the MBR systems to see if they meet the CDHS Title 22 requirements for reclaimed water. In addition, the MBR pilots were operated for a period of 3000–4000 hours to evaluate the performance of these units while operating on raw wastewater. Phase-1 pilot testing was conducted between October 2005 – March 2006. During this time period, both PURON™ and Huber VRM® Bioreactor were operated on raw wastewater from PLWWTP. Phase-2 pilot testing began in April 2006 and is currently ongoing at PLWWTP during which Kruger Neosep™ MBR and Dynalift™ MBR are being evaluated. Results from the Phase-1 pilot testing showed that both PURON™ MBR and Huber VRM® Bioreactor systems can produce excellent water quality and achieved high removal of particulate, organic and microbiological contaminants. During Phase-2 pilot testing, Kruger Neosep™ MBR produced excellent water quality and proved to be an ideal feed source for Reverse Osmosis membranes. The Dynalift™ MBR is currently in the start-up phase and results for this unit will be presented later.