Towards standardisation of the MBR technology?

Based on an extensive survey of the MBR industry, this article provides an overview of the market interests/expectations and technical potential of going through a standardisation process of the submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology in Europe. Eighty representative companies and institutions active in all areas of the European MBR market were individually contacted with an extensive questionnaire, 45 of these companies actually contributed to this study, which demonstrated the interest of the industry in this initiative. There is a pronounced and specific interest in guidelines/standards on interchangeable filtration systems and membrane characterisation methods in MBRs. Benefits and drawbacks, opportunities and threats of MBR standards were defined and mapped. Technical factors in a standardisation process were identified and quantified. The outcomes and recommendations were discussed in a comprehensive White Paper on MBR standardisation. A workshop with 35 participants was organised with the Centre Européen de Normailisation (CEN) to present and discuss the results of this study. All attendants accepted the White Paper as a reference document to start a formal procedure of standardisation. This study is expected to pave the way for an appropriate consensus-based standardisation process of the MBR technology, which will therefore benefit the entire European MBR industry.