Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor Technology Validated For Title 22 Compliance

By Jim Mahannah

MABR Proving Its Value At Stanford University Wastewater Treatment Pilot Project

Title 22 of California’s Water Recycling Criteria is among the strictest water treatment standards for water recycling and reuse in the United States. Fluence’s MABR demonstration plant was installed at the Codiga Resource Recovery Center (CR2C) in Stanford, California, in January 2018 for the purpose of third-party evaluation. The testing parameters included criteria to evaluate reliable enhanced nutrient removal in the form of Total Nitrogen, which is increasingly important across the United States and difficult and costly to achieve through conventional wastewater treatment.

Earlier this month, CR2C published their objective findings on the Stanford University website. Testing of the MABR plant originally commenced in January 2018, and after a year of operation, the CR2C team has witnessed exceptional performance results, aligning with Fluence’s observations and expectations. Notably, the MABR pilot has achieved average COD/BOD removal efficiencies exceeding 95%, a 92% reduction in Total Nitrogen, and a 96% reduction of ammonia. In all respects, the system met or exceeded mandated effluent treatment requirements.

MABR is not just another tweak of well-established treatment methodologies. Indeed, MABR is a paradigm-shifting and eco-friendly technology ideally suited for all manner of greenfield and retrofit wastewater treatment applications, scaling easily from residential through commercial to full-sized municipal and private operations.