A wastewater treatment technology developed at Masdar Institute (United Arab Emirates) improves on the performance of membrane bioreactor systems (MBRs), which combine membrane processes like microfiltration with biological treatment.

Researchers operate the SMEBR at Masdar Institute.The submerged membrane electro-bioreactor (SMEBR) adds an electrokinetic component, applying an electric current to remove various contaminants from wastewater.

The inclusion of enhanced biological and electrokinetic processes reduces the system’s dependency on primary- and secondary-related treatment. This enables the SMEBR to produce higher quality treated wastewater while consuming less energy than an MBR. The advanced system is also less susceptible to fouling.

A collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers seeks to further refine the technology with a post-treatment process that uses nanotechnology. The researchers are testing filters made of thin manganese dioxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Preliminary results show that coupling the SMEBR system with nanowire filtration offers good potential for eliminating heavy metal and organic constituents.