Assessment of Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrading with MBR Implementation

Modernization of wastewater treatment plants is usually caused by their significant wear and changes in the flow rate and concentration of pollutants. If there is no initial data on the flow or pollution, their determination by calculation is required, which may lead to an increase in concentration. Within the study, the modernization of treatment facilities was estimated under conditions of reduced flow and increased pollution concentration. Calculations were carried out both manually and using the CapdetWorks software package. The focus was on secondary treatment facilities as the main element of the municipal wastewater treatment plant within their upgrade from only organic pollutants removal (plug–flow reactor) to removal of both organic pollutants and nutrients (technology of the University of Cape Town). The calculations of tank volumes have shown that the concentration of pollutants has a much greater impact on them than the change in flow, especially when improvement in the treatment quality is required. The study revealed that membrane sludge separation allows tanks to be reduced in volume by 1.5–2.5 times (depending on the value of mixed liquor suspended solids) in comparison with gravity separation, which means smaller capital costs. However, membrane application requires significant energy costs for membrane aeration. For the initial data of the study, the specific energy costs for aeration before the upgrade, after the upgrade (gravity separation), and after the upgrade (membrane separation) were 0.12 kWh/m(3), 0.235 kWh/m(3), and 0.3 kWh/m(3), respectively. If the membrane lifetime is 10 years, membrane costs were determined to be 10–15% of the energy costs for aeration.