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Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) may have a reputation for being costly, but they don't have to be. A survey of 137 MBRs on the US mainland shows that an MBR using flat plate technology is typically half to three-quarters the capital expenditure (CAPEX) of hollow fiber systems. There is some data that suggests MBR Systems are competitive with several other technologies, including oxidation ditches, SBRs, MBBRs, and BNR plants. There is insufficient data to say definitively that a flat plate system costs less, but the data suggests that it can be cost effective versus conventional systems treating to the same quality effluent.

CAPEX is certainly important, but what about the OPEX (operating expenditure)? While there is a tremendous amount of data publicly available on energy and chemical consumption of MBR Systems, there is little to no data published on labor requirements of these systems. Labor can account for more than half of a plant's operating budget, so why is it being ignored? The survey of 137 MBR plants conducted by a third party analyst shows that a flat plate MBR requires 50% less labor to run than hollow fiber systems.