In cities and towns all over the world, homes and public buildings alike are connected by miles of underground sewage lines. Those pipelines lead to large scale centralized wastewater treatment plants that are meant to treat for typical pollutants produced daily in those areas. This is most typically grey and black water from the town or city’s residents. Many of these centralized treatment systems typically incorporate some sort of biological treatment that has likely been in place for decades.

Over time, regulations change, efficiencies decrease, and technology becomes outdated. At that point, such facilities feel the strain of trying to keep up with demand and it becomes imperative that changes will need to be made to optimize these treatment systems.

However, improving centralized treatment plants is only the first step towards improving water treatment efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In many parts of the world, centralized treatment systems are inconvenient as they would require considerable amounts of money for construction along with a connecting sewage system. Plus, central treatment plants are not typically designed to treat wastes from some industrial facilities, and those facilities cannot just discharge their wastewater into nearby water sources without having it treated in some capacity.

Therefore, the best route would be to aim for decentralized treatment systems that would be implemented in rural and suburban communities, industrial sites, hotels, etc. Such systems would be designed to treat for wastewater specific to that area or organization.

Both centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment systems often place emphasis on the biological treatment of wastewater, as it is filled with organic matter that can be costly to remove by other means. In recent years, fixed-film systems have come to the forefront of biological treatment for their efficiency, reliability, and lower costs in these applications.

One such biological treatment method is the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). These systems are excellent to retrofit into existing activated sludge treatment plants or to use as part of a new compact decentralized system for communities, commercial properties or industrial facilities.

While several companies offer this technology, Genesis Water Technologies, Inc. takes it to the next level, and here’s how.

• Specially designed Mbio^TM carrier media

The most commonly used design for carrier media in typical MBBR is modeled after the original design from the late 80s. They are cylindrical or square plastic pellets with a cross inscribed through the center and small fins around the outer perimeter (with some variation in newer models. These carriers have inner surface areas between 200 and 800 m²/m³. GWT’s carrier media, Mbio^TM, have inner surface areas of well over 800 m²/m³. They are flat circular disks with a slight parabolic curve. Also, the inner surface area is created within a network of pores on the carrier as opposed to the straight channels on other media.

• Low energy course bubble/nano bubble aeration

The reactor tank makes use of a diffuser system that produces course and nano bubbles in a convective current system to maximize oxygen transfer. These diffusers use less energy, and are less susceptible to clogging as sludge is minimized due to the convective circulation of the bubbles across the reaction tanks surface.

• Non-clogging medium

Bio clogging is an issue that arises in other carrier media as the biofilm can grow too thick. This thickness can decrease contact between the film and the substrates by decreasing the effective surface area and not allowing the solution to freely pass through the channels in the carriers. With the Mbio^TM carriers, clogging does not happen. As the carriers move through the water, a shear force occurs along its surface that keeps the biofilm from growing outside of the pores.

• High BOD/TSS removal with reduced HRT

Thanks to the high active biofilm surface area allowed by the design of the Mbio^TM carriers, allow for higher BOD and TSS removal at lower retention times than other MBBR systems at comparable load volumes and flow rates.

• Microbubbles

Many of GWT’s smaller modular biological aeration systems can include a secondary aeration tank that utilizes vacuum microbubble technology. These microbubbles are able to remain suspended in the effluent solution longer than typical bubbles, allowing for greatly improved potential for oxygen transfer which in turn improves biological oxidation and thus results in greater BOD and TSS removal efficiency.

• Modular compact design

GWT containerized MBBR biological treatment units are compact and allow for flows between 25,000 and 50,000 gallons per day (100-200 m3/d). Multiple units connected together allow for even higher flows if needed. Units are also portable and so are easy to move around and set up wherever they are needed.

• Close client relationships

GWT does more than just provide our clients with engineered systems, we work hand in hand with them in association with our local partners from wastewater analysis to installation and support. The most efficient biological treatment systems are the ones that are designed specifically with the client in mind. We can provide custom designed solutions, installation (in association with local contractors), training, and after-sales support to ensure that your wastewater is treated in the most reliable, effective, and sustainable way possible at a reasonable cost.

Considering a GWT MBBR solution for your application?

Contact Genesis Water Technologies, Inc. at 1-877-267-3699 in the US or reach out to us via email at customersupport@genesiswatertech.com for a free initial consultation to discuss your specific application with our knowledgeable representatives.