MBR membrane is the core component of the membrane bioreactor. Its superior performance and longer service life are the primary reasons why we choose MBR membranes. However, the lifespan of the MBR membranes from different brands is also different. This article provides an overview of the MBR membrane’s lifespan.
What are the Features of the MBR Membrane?
- The concentration of activated sludge (MLSS) and sludge age (SRT) can be increased by more than 2 to 5 times.
- The concentration of microorganisms can be increased by 2-3 times, and the biochemical efficiency can be increased by 10-30%.
- Short retention time of sewage and long retention time of activated sludge.
- The secondary sedimentation tank can be omitted.
- Long sludge discharge cycle.
- Easy to operate and can be controlled automatically.
- The service life of the hollow fiber membrane can reach more than 3 years.
What’s the Lifespan of the MBR Membrane?
The lifespan of the MBR membrane mainly depends on the type of water to be treated. There is still a certain difference in the service life of MBR membrane for municipal sewage and industrial sewage treatment. The service life of MBR membrane for industrial wastewater is generally around 3-5 years, while the service life of MBR membrane for municipal wastewater treatment is also longer, reaching 5-8 years. According to clients’ feedback, the SPERTA MBR membrane’s service life for domestic wastewater treatment has reached 10 years.
What Affects the lifespan of MBR Membranes?
1. Membrane product performance
For MBR systems, we should use the MBR membranes with permanent hydrophilicity and fibers that do not break easily to ensure the amount and quality of produced water.
2. MBR Membrane Damaged
Large, sharp, hard particles can cause mechanical damage (scratch) to the membrane surface. It also includes fibers or hair filaments wrapped around the MBR membrane, so the pretreatment requires that the maximum particle size is less than 2mm.
3. Inlet water temperature
The inlet water temperature is lower than the design temperature (common in seasonal changes), which will lead to a decrease in membrane effluent performance. Changes in the type, concentration, and viscosity of pollutants in the water quality can also cause the membrane permeability to be lower than expected. To solve these problems, it is necessary to consider the fluctuation range of the minimum water temperature and water quality throughout the year at the beginning of the design of the membrane system and leave a certain safety margin when selecting the membrane area.
4. Design & Selction
Due to lack of design experience, excessive consideration of cost, resulting in insufficient membrane area, and overestimation of the permeate flux of the membrane, the membrane will not reach the designed capacity. Whether it is MBR, UF, or RO, we must guarantee sufficient membrane area.
5. Installation and Construction
During the manufacture and installation of the membrane system, if the residual impurities are not cleaned up in time, the water production performance of the membrane will be affected. In particular, welding slag, sharp or filamentous objects, etc., will cause damage to the MBR membrane fibers and elements in severe cases.
Through this article, we learned that treating domestic wastewater membrane modules generally has a longer lifespan than treating industrial wastewater, and many factors also affect its service life. We must keep good records in the daily and regular maintenance, which can extend the MBR membrane service life to a limited extent.
Shanghai SPERTA Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. has specialized in producing water treatment products for many years. The company has its own MBR membrane technology, a complete technical team, and pre-sales and after-sales service. If you have any needs or any other related questions, don’t hesitate to contact SPERTA.
