Advantages of MBR in Pharmaceutical Wastewater

Pharmaceutical wastewater is a high concentration wastewater that is difficult to degrade. It is characterized by complex components, various types of organic pollutants, high concentration, high COD and BOD values, and large fluctuations. The difference of BOD/COD value in wastewater is large, NH₃-N concentration is high, chroma is large, toxicity is high, and the concentration of suspended solids is high. The general treatment methods of pharmaceutical wastewater include physic-chemical methods, chemical methods and biological methods.

MBR technology is one of the most economical treatment methods, so it is now widely used in the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater. According to the pore size of the membrane, the commonly used MBR Membranes include microfiltration membrane and ultrafiltration membrane. According to the material, it can be divided into organic membrane and inorganic membrane. Because the cost of organic membrane is relatively low, organic membrane is commonly used in MBR membrane.

Compared with traditional processes, MBR Technology has advantages in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment as following:

1. Higher Filtration Efficiency

The pharmaceutical wastewater contains a large amount of suspended matter. Through the efficient separation of the membrane, the concentration of the suspended matter is close to zero. In addition, some wastewater contains a large amount of toxic substances, which can easily induce sludge expansion. The separation function of the membrane module ensures the quality of the effluent.

2. Stronger Biochemical Ability

The use of MBR Membrane Modules has left almost all of the activated sludge in the reactor, effectively increasing the concentration and activity of the sludge. In contrast, the traditional process caused a lot of loss of activated sludge after sludge expansion.

3. Higher Efficiency in Degrading Organic Matter

The refractory organics in the pharmaceutical wastewater are intercepted, and a longer contact time with microorganisms is obtained than traditional processes, which is beneficial to the cultivation of certain obligate microorganisms and improves the purification efficiency of refractory organics.

4. Greater Effect of Removing Ammonia Nitrogen

There are a large number of nitrifying bacteria in the MBR tank. Under the separation of the membrane, the slow glowing nitrifying bacteria stay in the MBR tank, creating favorable conditions for their growth and reproduction. The large accumulation of nitrifying bacteria in the MBR tank has a good removal effect on the ammonia nitrogen in the MBR tank.

With the advancement of MBR membrane research and development technology, the improvement of membrane quality and the reduction of membrane cost, the operating cost of MBR will also be reduced. In the long run, MBR as a high-tech technology, has a bright future for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.