ZeeLung* Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor

Simple & Sustainable Intensification of Activated Sludge

Upgrading wastewater treatment plants for capacity expansion or nutrient removal is challenged by process complexity, the need for larger tank volumes and increased energy consumption.

ZeeLung MABR is an innovative solution that maximizes the treatment capacity from existing tank volumes while also reducing energy consumption. Conventional solutions require the construction of new tanks and other process intensification technologies are complex and energy-inefficient. ZeeLung MABR, on the other hand, is a simple solution that increases treatment capacity in existing assets and reduces energy.

Simple & sustainable wastewater process intensification

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Overview
How It Works
Case Studies
Resources

Overview

ZeeLung MABR is a next-generation biofilm process that employs a gas permeable media to deliver oxygen to a biofilm that is attached to the surface of the media.

ZeeLung MABR maximizes treatment capacity in existing tank volumes while also reducing energy consumption.

During secondary treatment, bacteria metabolize nutrients and organics - and need a flow of oxygen to get it done. Oxygen is typically pumped through diffusers to create bubbles. But most of the oxygen rises to the surface without being used and valuable energy is wasted. At Veolia, we saw a new approach. While conventional solutions require the construction of new tanks, ZeeLung MABR increases treatment capacity in existing assets and reduces energy use. ZeeLung enables process intensification and process resilience.

ZeeLung MABR solves the following treatment challenges:

Increase treatment capacity
Augment ammonia removal
Implement nitrogen removal
Enable biological phosphorus removal

ZeeLung MABR Benefits

Process Intensification: Up to 50% more treatment capacity and/or performance in existing tank volumes
Process Resilience: The attached growth biofilm is resilient to load variations and upset conditions
Simple Solution: ZeeLung cassettes are installed into existing bioreactor tanks, avoiding the need to build new tanks and allowing fast implementation
Energy Reduction & GHG Mitigation: 4X reduction in aeration energy & N2O mitigation potential

How It Works

How ZeeLung Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor Works

Oxygen is delivered to the biofilm by diffusion – without the use of bubbles. The result is 4X lower energy consumption for oxygen transfer than fine bubble aeration. Pollutants, such as ammonia and organics, diffuse from the bulk solution into the biofilm where bacteria in the biofilm have optimal conditions to remove them

large-ZeeLung biofilm

large-ZeeLung construction

The product is a reinforced media with a yarn-based core supporting multiple gas permeable filaments. This construction – referred to as a “cord” – is flexible yet unbreakable. Multiple cords are potted into top and bottom headers to create a module and modules are installed in a steel frame that forms a cassette. Cassettes are deployed in the mixed liquor in a biological reactor. Low-pressure air is delivered to the cassettes for transfer of oxygen and mixing of the system.

Installing ZeeLung MABR cassettes into an activated sludge reactor increases the inventory of biomass in the system without increasing the mixed liquor concentration. As a result, the same reactor volume has more treatment capability.

large-ZeeLung Reactor

large-ZeeLung Counter Diffusion

The process interaction of oxygen and pollutants is different in a ZeeLung MABR system compared to conventional active sludge and biofilm processes. With ZeeLung MABR, oxygen and substrates – such as ammonia and organics – enter the biofilm from opposite sides in a counter-diffusion configuration. This creates conditions that favor the growth of nitrifiers in the biofilm.This can be explained by the high diffusivity of ammonia into a biofilm, as compared to organic substrates, and the availability of dissolved oxygen which is highest at the media surface. Preferential growth of nitrifiers versus heterotrophs means that the ZeeLung biofilm “supercharges” nitrification in an activated sludge system. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification can be achieved by installing ZeeLung cassettes in an anoxic zone.

ZeeLung MABR cassettes are simply deployed into existing tanks with minimal impact on the existing equipment and operations. This makes ZeeLung MABR a cost-effective and versatile solution for augmenting plant performance.

ZeeLung Severn Trent

Case Studies

ZeeLung MABR demonstrates low energy, small footprint treatment at the North Toronto Treatment Plant: Download Full Case Study

The North Toronto Treatment Plant is one of four wastewater treatment facilities owned and operated by the City of Toronto. It was originally commissioned in 1929 and has been in operation for nearly a century. Like many plants in Canada, it is required to achieve a higher level of treatment than it was originally designed for.The City used this upgrade project as an opportunity to evaluate innovative technologies for energy savings and enhanced treatment in a compact footprint.The City chose to implement an MABR upgrade on one-quarter of the existing secondary treatment plant.The plant includes online instrumentation to facilitate monitoring and optimization of the MABR system performance, as well as comparison with conventional activated sludge lanes
ZeeLung MABR & zeeDENSE MABR intensify wastewater treatment at the Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District: Download Full Case Study

The Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District faced multiple challenges including capacity constraints from population growth and industrial loads, space limitations, and phosphorus discharge compliance requirements. In 2017, they implemented ZeeLung MABR technology as a solution. When increased flow created new clarifier capacity challenges, the facility was further upgraded in 2023 with zeeDENSE MABR technology to address these ongoing needs.
ZeeLung MABR delivers a future-proof nutrient removal upgrade for Hespeler Wastewater Treatment Plant: Download Full Case Study

The Hespeler Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Cambridge, Ontario is one of 13 plants serving the more than 600,000 residents of the Region of Waterloo. To help meet its projected growth, the Region needed to upgrade the Hespeler WWTP.This WWTP consisted of an activated sludge system that was permitted for TSS and BOD removal and was facing a need to increase capacity and anticipate a future ammonia removal requirement. Rather than building more activated sludge tanks, the Region of Waterloo upgraded the plant with a ZeeLung MABR solution in order to save 50% of the capital cost of a conventional upgrade.The ZeeLung MABR system preserves space on the site and saves aeration energy.The ZeeLung system has been in operation since the end of 2022
ZeeLung MABR demonstrates low-energy ammonia removal for Severn Trent Spernal Sewage Treatment Works: Download Full Case Study

The Spernal-Redditch Sewage Treatment Plant located near Birmingham, UK is home to Severn Trent Water’s Resource Recovery and Innovation Centre where technologies compatible with a low energy and circular economy approach can be evaluated. In 2020, Severn Trent commissioned a ZeeLung MABR upgrade of an existing activated sludge lane to demonstrate the potential of the technology to treat increased ammonia loads associated with population growth and changing wastewater composition in existing infrastructure. The project has also focused on how ZeeLung MABR can reduce energy consumption and mitigate N2O emissions to support the UK water industry commitment to carbon neutrality
ZeeLung MABR process intensification demonstration at the Chicago O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant: Download Full Case Study

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) has over 100 years of history in innovative wastewater treatment . The O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant (OWRP) treats municipal sewage with some industrial contribution at an average daily flow of 230 mgd and wet weather peaks of 500 mgd, facing ammonia challenges during spring. MWRD partnered with Veolia to evaluate ZeeLung MABR for its potential to intensify the biological treatment process by providing nitrification in a much smaller tank volume than conventional activated sludge requirements, thereby expanding the capacity of existing aeration tanks to institute an anaerobic zone for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EPBR), without the need to construct additional infrastructure
ZeeLung MABR technology delivers a compact, low-energy, high efficiency decentralized wastewater treatment: Download Full Case Study

Burwood Brickworks in Victoria, Australia, is designed to be the world’s most sustainable retail centre. Two important aspects of this are water reuse and energy efficiency. Therefore, the developers of this commercial real estate sought a low-energy water reuse solution for treatment of the blackwater and stormwater collected on the retail site.Aquacell, a global leader in designing and building commercial recycled solutions, selected ZeeLung MABR technology from Veolia to be part of their design in delivering an energy efficient recycle and reuse solution for the Burwood Brickworks project. Treated water will be reused within the Burwood Brickworks site for flushing, cooling, irrigation, and other uses.The solution was installed in September 2019 and commissioned in 2020. It is an example of how ZeeLung MABR technology can be combined with other treatment solutions to deliver excellent and sustainable wastewater treatment solution for decentralized water reuse
ZeeLung MABR compact, low-energy nutrient upgrade demonstration in the United Kingdom: Download Full Case Study

Population growth in the UK has driven the need for expanded treatment capacity where land is limited, along with stricter nutrient removal requirements. Veolia partnered with a UK water company to evaluate ZeeLung MABR for upgrading activated sludge plants, demonstrating its ability to meet BOD5 (10 mg/L) and ammonia (2 mg/L) requirements. The project proved ZeeLung MABR could enhance nutrient removal while reducing energy consumption.