Packaged MBBR Wastewater Treatment for a Remote Community
Application
Decentralized, packaged MBBR wastewater treatment for a remote community with variable seasonal flows
Treatment Capacity
Up to 20.4 m³/day (approximately 5,390 US gallons/day)
Treatment Process
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) with equalization, nutrient reduction, secondary clarification and soil dispersal
Operational Requirement
Approximately two hours of operator input per week
Project Objective
Reliable year-round wastewater treatment meeting Regional Guidelines and Standards
Reliable Wastewter Treatment
Addressing Wastewater Challenges in a Remote Community
Remote communities can face wastewater challenges that are fundamentally different from those faced by larger municipalities. This is because smaller municipalities don't have access to centralized infrastructure.
Flowpoint worked with a remote community that had an aging septic system. At the time, their aging treatment methods were no longer sufficient to meet current wastewater discharge requirements. At the same time, extending conventional centralized wastewater infrastructure to the site would have introduced significant capital costs. This included extensive sewer construction, presenting more complex long-term operating requirements.
Population and wastewater flows could also fluctuate seasonally, creating another challenge. The treatment system needed to accommodate changing hydraulic and organic loads without requiring the Community to operate a conventional wastewater treatment plant.
Working with the project’s engineering consultant, Flowpoint Environmental Systems developed a decentralized packaged wastewater treatment system. At its core, it was built around Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology. The resulting system combined biological treatment, equalization, nutrient reduction, clarification and controlled soil dispersal. The compact treatment process directly addressed the Community’s actual operating requirements.
The Challenge
Wastewater treatment becomes more difficult when a relatively small system must accommodate both high-strength influent and variable flow conditions.
The incoming wastewater for the project was characterized by approximately 600 mg/L BOD, 400 mg/L TSS, 200 mg/L oil and grease, and 100 mg/L total nitrogen. Those concentrations required more than basic septic treatment. The Community needed a process capable of providing reliable biological treatment and substantial nutrient reduction while continuing to perform as wastewater flows changed.
Being remote, the site also presented an operational challenge. Typically, a conventional wastewater treatment facility can require significant operator attention and specialized knowledge. In contrast, a remote application likely has limited operator resources available. Therefore, Flowpoint balanced the increased treatment complexity with the system’s long-term maintenance requirements. All without trading one infrastructure problem for another.
The project therefore required a wastewater treatment system that could balance several objectives simultaneously. Taking into account reliable treatment, variable-flow capability, a compact footprint, low operator requirements and compliance with Regional Guidelines and Standards.
The Solution
Flowpoint proposed a packaged Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) treatment system designed specifically around the wastewater characteristics and operating conditions identified by the engineering consultant.
The project incorporated the supporting processes required to create a complete decentralized treatment train. Treating the MBBR as a standalone piece of equipment wasn't feasible.
Pre-treatment and equalization helped manage incoming wastewater before biological treatment.
The MBBR served as the primary biological treatment process, incorporating nitrogen removal. Secondary clarification separated the treated primary effluent from any remaining solids. The final intent was for the downstream dosing tanks to distribute the treated wastewater to six soil dispersal zones.
Monitoring ports and filtration were also incorporated to simplify ongoing sampling and system assessment.
The result was a modular treatment system capable of processing up to approximately 20.4 m³/day (5,390 US gallons/day) while remaining practical for a remote application.
Managing Variable Flows
Designing Around Seasonal Wastewater Demand
One of the project's central requirements was the ability to accommodate changes in wastewater flow.
Remote communities can experience substantial variations due to population changes, seasonal activity, tourism, or agricultural cycles. However, controlling abrupt changes in hydraulic loading helps a biological wastewater treatment process perform reliably.
Equalization, therefore, played an important role in the overall treatment strategy.
Instead of allowing fluctuating incoming flows to pass directly through the biological process, equalization and timed dosing helped regulate how wastewater entered and moved through the treatment system. This provided the MBBR with more consistent operating conditions while allowing the overall facility to respond to variations in incoming wastewater.
The approach meant that the system did not have to choose between accommodating peak demand and maintaining stable biological treatment.
It was designed to do both.
Biological Treatment
Using MBBR Technology Within a Compact Footprint
At the center of the system is a multi-chamber Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor.
MBBR technology uses specialized media in treatment chambers to provide a large, protected surface area on which microorganisms can grow. As wastewater moves through the reactor, this biological population treats organic contaminants and supports nutrient reduction.
The multi-chamber configuration provided separate biological treatment zones to optimize microbial activity within the compact footprint required by the site. Thin-film media increased the available surface area for biofilm growth and supported treatment performance without requiring the footprint associated with some conventional biological processes.
Aeration supplied the oxygen required by the biological process. Flowpoint selected a submerged air blower that delivers oxygen consistently while operating quietly.
The biological process was then complemented by chemical dosing where required to assist with solids removal and nutrient reduction.
Completing the Treatment Train
From Biological Treatment to Safe Dispersal
Effective decentralized wastewater treatment does not end when biological treatment is complete.
Following the MBBR process, a secondary sedimentation compartment separates the remaining solids from the treated effluent. This provides an additional treatment step before the water moves into the downstream dosing and dispersal system.
Treated effluent is then passed into the dosing tanks to six soil dispersal zones.
This controlled dispersal approach safely returns treated water to the environment while helping protect groundwater. Monitoring ports and filtration provide practical access for testing and ongoing verification of system performance.
Biological treatment, clarification, dosing, and dispersal were integral to the overall design. Allowing the project to address the wastewater management as a complete process rather than simply installing a replacement treatment component.
Treatment Performance
The completed MBBR system demonstrated that a compact decentralized treatment process could provide substantial wastewater treatment while accommodating the Community's operating conditions.
The system consistently produced treated effluent with less than 25 mg/L BOD and 30 mg/L TSS while reducing total nitrogen by approximately 75%. These results met or exceeded the Regional Guidelines and Standards established for the project.
Just as importantly, treatment performance could be maintained while accommodating seasonal variations in wastewater flow.
Equalization and timed dosing helped maintain consistent conditions throughout the treatment process, while the soil dispersal system provided a controlled method for returning treated water to the environment.
The system therefore addressed both sides of the Community's wastewater challenge: treatment quality and operational practicality.
The Final Result
A Remote Packaged MBBR Wastewater Treatment System
The Remote Community now has the advantage of a decentralized wastewater treatment system designed around its actual wastewater characteristics, variable flows and available operating resources.
The packaged MBBR consistently reduces BOD to below 25 mg/L and TSS to below 30 mg/L, while achieving approximately a 75% reduction in total nitrogen. Equalization and timed dosing support year-round treatment performance, and treated effluent is safely returned to the environment through the project's soil dispersal system.
The decentralized approach also avoided the need for costly sewer extensions and the infrastructure required to connect the Community to a conventional centralized wastewater treatment system.
Instead, the Community gained an independent treatment solution with a compact footprint, limited operator requirements and the flexibility to accommodate changing wastewater demands.
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
More Than Wastewater Treatment
The Remote Community project demonstrates an important principle in decentralized wastewater treatment: selecting the treatment technology is only part of designing a successful system. MBBR provided the biological treatment process, but its effectiveness depended on how it was integrated into the complete wastewater treatment train.
Equalization helped manage variable incoming flows. Biological treatment addressed the high-strength wastewater. Secondary clarification separated remaining solids. Chemical dosing supported the removal of solids and nutrients. Timed dosing and soil dispersal were used to manage the treated effluent. Controls and monitoring helped make the entire process manageable for operators.
Together, those elements created a wastewater treatment system designed around the site's conditions rather than requiring the site to accommodate the limitations of a conventional treatment approach.
For remote communities facing aging septic infrastructure, fluctuating wastewater flows, limited operator resources or the high cost of extending centralized sewer infrastructure, packaged MBBR wastewater treatment can provide another path: bring appropriately scaled treatment infrastructure to the community rather than attempting to bring the community to centralized infrastructure.
Get Started
Need a Decentralized Packaged Wastewater Treatment Solution?
Flowpoint Environmental Systems designs and manufactures engineered wastewater treatment systems for communities and facilities throughout North America.
Whether your project involves a remote location, high-strength wastewater, variable seasonal flows, limited operator resources, or the need to replace aging onsite wastewater infrastructure, our team can work with owners and engineering consultants to develop a treatment solution tailored to the site's actual requirements.
