Commissioning of a membrane bioreactor wastewater plant

The coastal region of Alicante, Spain, is a popular destination for visitors during the summer and winter touristic seasons. It is therefore essential that its wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) – Arenales del Sol – is equipped with the capability to provide high quality treatment to greatly variable seasonal sewage inflow. One of the challenges that Arenales del Sol WWTP faced was having a suitable seeding procedure which could reduce the start-up time for its large membrane bioreactor (MBR) system. To address that, we simulated the start-up phase of a flat-sheet MBR system of the WWTP in WEST. The simulation proved the effectiveness of the proposed solution of dosing molasses, available at no cost, to dramatically shorten the period necessary to attain the optimal mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration.