Membrane techniques
The introduction of more and more restrictive requirements regarding the quality of treated wastewater discharged into water forces the use of new technological solutions in order to achieve better efficiency of wastewater treatment than in conventional systems.
Ultrafiltration
Membrane technologies are successfully used for treatment of industrial and municipal sewage and for water treatment. They are considered to be the Best Available Technology (BAT).
Membrane processes can be used for purification (removal of impurities from solvent), concentration (removal of solvent from a solution) and fractionation (separation of a solution into its components).
The technology using membrane reactors is an extension and upgrade of the activated sludge method. The main difference is the replacement of secondary sedimentation tanks, used in the traditional activated sludge method, with a system of microporous filtration membranes (most often micro- or ultrafiltration), placed directly in the aerated activated sludge chamber or as a separate device in a separate tank.
MBR
The combination of membrane pressure techniques (UF or MF) with a biological treatment method (e.g. activated sludge, biofilter bed methods) is called membrane bioreactors (MBR). Membrane bioreactors are used in biological treatment of municipal and industrial sewage.