Ecological Advantages of Carbon Enhanced MBRs Treating Oily Wastewater

Abstract

Abstract: As is the case in much of the world, Saudi Arabia is experiencing severe water shortages and the ability to reuse wastewater from our refineries and oil processing facilities is becoming an operating necessity. Saudi Aramco engaged Siemens Water Technologies (SWT) to perform wastewater treatment research to demonstrate the capability of a carbon-enhanced Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) that utilizes Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) to be able to provide an effluent that could be used as a feed for a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system that was producing boiler feed water. This particular type of Biological Activated Carbon – Membrane Biological Reactor (BAC-MBR) was subsequently demonstrated to provide all of the advantages of a PAC MBR but without the abrasion and permeability decrease that had been identified to be a major concern in previous testing using PAC as the source of activated carbon in an MBR. In the GAC MBR embodiment, a screening/separation system that prevents the carbon from coming in contact with the membranes and causing abrasion and permeability decrease is utilized between the aeration and Membrane Operating System (MOS) portions of the MBR. This paper details how Saudi Aramco contracted Siemens Water Technologies to develop a Saudi Aramco invention into an operable state-of-the art wastewater treatment reuse system for oily wastewaters.