Chapter 4 - Commercial Technologies

Abstract

New commercial technologies are continually being developed and brought to the market. This chapter provides a comprehensive description of technologies with basic technical details of the membrane element that are available and visible globally. Developing and commercially available membrane bioreactor (MBR) membrane module products can be classified according to the membrane configuration. Products based on flat sheet (FS), hollow fiber (HF), and multitube (MT) configurations are described. Established technologies based on specific membrane modules are also described. Two practical considerations regarding MBR technologies are their cost and interchangeability. While obtaining unambiguous information on capital costs is challenging, the technical specifications of the commercial iMBR (immersed membrane bioreactor) membrane module products allow an assessment of both the module footprint, and thus their interchangeability, and the membrane aeration demand, which provides the greatest contribution to the running costs. It is envisaged that there exists a range of optimum values of the iMBR module dimensions that are likely to relate to key design operation and maintenance parameters such as specific aeration demand of the membrane and aeration protocol, gross flux, physical and chemical cleaning protocols, sludge retention time, and pre-treatment. The maximum value of the key design parameter of membrane packing density is likely to be constrained by the fouling and clogging propensity---as well as the cleanability---of the membrane.