What is the difference between MBR and MBBR process

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a new type of water treatment technology that combines a membrane separation unit with a biological treatment unit. It replaces the secondary sedimentation tank (or decanter) with a membrane module and maintains highly activated sludge in the bioreactor. Concentration reduces sewage treatment facility footprint and reduces sludge volume by keeping sludge loads low. It belongs to activated sludge method + membrane separation.

Carrier fluid bed moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), its principle is to increase the biomass and biological species in the reactor by adding a certain amount of suspended carrier to the reactor, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the reactor. Since the density of the filler is close to that of water, it is completely mixed with water during aeration. In addition, each carrier has different biological species inside and outside, and some anaerobic bacteria or facultative bacteria grow inside. The environment for microbial growth is Gas, liquid, solid three-phase. The collision and shearing of the carrier in the water make the air bubbles smaller and increase the utilization rate of oxygen. The outside is good for bacteria, so that each carrier is a micro-reactor, so that the nitrification reaction and the denitrification reaction exist at the same time, thus Improved handling.

The core of MBBR is to increase the filler. The uniquely designed filler floats with the water flow in the reaction tank under the disturbance of blast aeration, driving the attached and growing biological flora to fully contact with the pollutants and oxygen in the water body. Diffusion enters the biofilm and is degraded by microorganisms. The microorganisms attached to the growth can reach a high biomass, so the biological concentration in the reaction tank is several times that of the suspended growth activated sludge process, and the degradation efficiency is also multiplied. It belongs to the biofilm method.

Comparison of Processing Efficiency
* From the removal of organic matter:
Both processes have higher removal rates for COD, BOD and ammonia nitrogen. The MBR process relies on its higher sludge load, and the MBBR process relies on the biofilm on its filler.

* TN, TP removal rate:
The MBBR process has a better effect on TN removal, while TP removal needs to rely on dosing chemical phosphorus removal. The MBR process needs to rely on the front-end biological method to remove TN. The removal of TP also needs to rely on front-end dosing chemical phosphorus removal.

* Removal of SS:
MBBR has no effect on SS removal, and needs to rely on the back-end ultrafiltration membrane process to remove SS; MBR membrane can remove SS well.

* Comparison of cost treatments
The filler in the MBBR process can be added at one time, and it is only necessary to strengthen the biofilm management on the filler in the subsequent operation. The investment in the construction period is relatively large, and the operation and maintenance are simple.
MBR process: The service life of the membrane unit is generally 4-5 years, and the replacement cycle is short. During daily operation and management, it is necessary to carry out maintenance work such as chemical cleaning and off-line cleaning of the membrane unit, which is difficult to operate and manage. And the cost is high. The average cost of maintenance and replacement of the membrane unit is more than one million per year.

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