Membrane bioreactors: Two decades of research and implementation

Membrane bioreactor technology is widely recognised as offering a key option for enhanced wastewater treatment or reuse. This brief review of the technology incorporates four key aspects: (a) market growth, (b) research areas, (c) product supply diversity and specifications, and (d) practitioner needs. Market growth and research topics were assessed through an examination of the appropriate literature and databases, specifically Scopus for the latter. Available MBR membrane products were identified from the Internet and other searches and the specifications verified through contact with the suppliers. Appropriate practitioners were identified through networking and verified as either being active in the operation and maintenance of full-scale MBRs or with an extensive experience of them within the industrial community. Results indicate that the footprint of modules normalised against membrane area changes significantly across the currently commercially-available product range, notwithstanding generically similar construction, such that opportunities for interchanging may be limited. The survey of research papers revealed the most comprehensively researched topic to be at odds with its practical constraints as identified by the practitioners.