Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) for Decentralized Grey Water Treatment: Technical, Ecological and Cost Efficiency Comparison for Domestic Applications

Abstract

The reuse of greywater has several advantages, including reduced freshwater extraction from rivers, aquifers, and groundwater; reduced need for desalination; less environmental impact from septic tanks and water treatment plants; decreased energy consumption; and reduced chemical pollution. The main objectives of this review study are to assess the technical attributes, ecological impacts, and cost-efficiency of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) water treatment technology compared to similar available technology for small to medium-sized, decentralized applications in residential and commercial settings such as home gardening, sanitation, and landfills. Previous studies indicate that hybrid technologies such as MBBR are the most promising methods for the total removal of contaminants in wastewater in a decentralized setting. However, the initial capital cost of this technology for small and medium-scale domestic applications worldwide is high and so is a limiting factor in the expansion of its utilization. Expansion of domestic use of such Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DWTS) could increase the economies of scale and therefore reduce the initial capital costs for this useful water treatment. For the MBBR system, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency was found to be 70%, Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal was found to be 97%, and turbidity removal was 98%