Membrane bioreactors (MBR) have become the wastewater industry’s gold standard for superior wastewater treatment and water reuse technology.  Unfortunately for suburban and community development, MBR has not always been the obvious choice for wastewater treatment.  Enviroquip, a division of Eimco Water Technologies, is dedicated to bringing the numerous benefits of MBR to real estate, land, and community developers.  Utilizing Kubota Submerged Membrane Unit (SMU) technology, and with thousands of operating MBR plants worldwide, Enviroquip leads the technological pack by employing a uniquely efficient and cost-effective approach of MBR ­design to dynamic and scalable ­environments.

By supplanting conventional wastewater treatment with an MBR system, also known as a “decentralized sewer,” several Low Impact Development (LID) benefits are realized:

• Land use planning flexibility – Reduced plant footprint, smaller lot sizes (no home onsite design constraints), and an absence of treatment dispersal area allows full development for the permitted zoning density.  Fewer streets mean lesser development costs.  And additional land space can be used to develop recreational amenities, community gardens, or just left as green space, all major assets in desirable communities.
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• Operational reliability and simplicity – Minimized operational complexity and plant automation equals fewer skilled, onsite operators.
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• Decreased sludge production – As a result of membrane digestion and thickening options, fewer sludge hauling trips are required.
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• Superior quality effluent and eco-friendly design – Wastewater permitting is often “fast-tracked” due to the demonstrated and well documented nature of MBR performance.  Water reuse is a reality with MBR technology, and land application of treated wastewater through various irrigation methods is capable of recharging groundwater.  Consequently, local watersheds and long-term sustainable water supplies are protected.
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• Low odor – Plants can be “hidden” in otherwise inaccessible locations for treating wastewater.  This further enhances the MBR’s flexibility to fit within community and resort layouts.Flexibility, Reliability, and Good Looks Too!
  

M-PAC™ plants are available up to 125,000 gallons per day and are certified by California's Title 22 requirements, meeting the highest effluent standards, ­including these typical effluent quality ­parameters: BOD5 < 5 mg/L, TSS < 5 mg/L, TN < 10 mg/L, Fecal Coliform = Non Detected.
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And due to their minimal footprint and optimized biological process, M-PAC systems are not plagued with odor issues and unsightly appearance associated with conventional treatment systems.  Indeed, M-PAC™ systems easily blend into the existing environment,  and can even be hidden to appear as non-wastewater structures.

In order to handle particularly low flow seasons or to simply phase in developments and grow with the neighborhood, M-PAC systems may be equipped with the Storm Master™ configuration or Energy Pro™.  With Storm Master, the plant is capable of transforming into a sludge thickening system during periods of low flow.  This capability, unlike anything Enviroquip’s competitors are capable of, minimizes hauling requirements and energy costs while maintaining the activated sludge until higher flows return.  It works by placing one of the process trains in normal online status while another is used to digest and thicken solids to 3 percent before further treatment. 

As flows increase, the plant computer brings all trains online to treat peak flows.  Energy ProTM works in a similar way, as it is designed to only treat what is required, thus saving energy costs during startup and development phasing.

In addition to low flows, Enviroquip MBRs can handle unusually cold temperatures or rare high flow scenarios too.  Using its proprietary flux enhancing additive, MPE-50®, an Enviroquip MBR can accommodate a wide range of operating conditions, giving operators time and confidence to manage system upsets.  Additionally, the ability to operate the plant manually, in the event of an emergency, provides another level of reliability that can be invaluable. And unlike many membrane systems that require complex automation and constant adjustments, the plant can be run in a manual mode to ­protect against power surges, brown outs, or a loss of network communications that may temporarily interrupt automation (even with necessary built in ­redundancy).

Building Lives
A flexible, reliable, and cost-competitive design, the pre-engineered M-PAC wastewater treatment system from Enviroquip can be a developer’s best friend.  The decentralized nature of MBR optimizes land use and water conservation while minimizing development costs.  Enviroquip remains dedicated to the developer market because community development is more than building homes, it’s about building lives. SLDT