ENV · AnaeroMBR
AnaeroMBR — anaerobic membrane bioreactor
A completely mixed anaerobic reactor combined with Glorinda's low-energy tubular ultrafiltration membranes. High-strength effluent becomes biogas instead of an aeration bill.
The starting point
What problem does it solve?
- “Our aeration blowers run the electricity bill”
- “We produce more sludge than we can afford to remove”
- “Our COD load is too high for the biological plant”
- “Fats and oils keep upsetting the process”
- “We have no room for a bigger treatment plant”
Your solution can be AnaeroMBR.
Aerobic treatment destroys organic load by spending electricity on it, and it produces sludge that then costs money to remove. On a high-strength effluent, those two costs together often exceed everything else in the treatment budget.
AnaeroMBR inverts that. It is a cutting-edge anaerobic membrane bioreactor designed to treat high-strength industrial wastewater while generating clean energy, combining a completely mixed anaerobic digester with Glorinda's low-energy tubular ultrafiltration membranes. The same organic load that was a power cost becomes methane, and sludge production falls sharply.
It is ideal when you are treating high BOD and COD wastewater, want lower operational costs, want maximum conversion of organics into biogas, and want to reduce sludge production.
Why it pays
Benefits
Up to 98% COD removal
Superior effluent quality, ready for discharge or reuse. The comparison table below sets that against conventional anaerobic and aerobic MBR systems.
Maximum biogas production
Turns organic waste into renewable energy with high methane yields. Energy use is 1.5–2.5 kWh/m³ of net permeate output, with no aeration, flocculants or gas scouring required.
Up to 75% less sludge
Cuts sludge production by up to 75% compared with an aerobic process, which removes the second-largest operating cost on most high-strength plants.
Handles difficult wastewater
Tolerates high COD, TSS, fats, oils and grease, salinity and toxic compounds better than conventional anaerobic systems.
Minimal maintenance
External, out-of-tank membrane units allow safe, easy access, with high membrane durability — eight years.
Fast start-up
No granular seed or complex configurations required, so commissioning is rapid. The design is compact and modular, suitable for tight sites and easy to expand.
Process
How it works
Two things are happening at once. A low-rate, completely mixed anaerobic reactor converts organic load to biogas, and a tubular ultrafiltration membrane holds the biomass in the reactor independently of how well it settles. That decoupling is what makes the process robust: a conventional anaerobic system depends on granulation, and granulation is exactly what fails when the feed contains fats, oils, grease or salinity.
Because the membranes sit outside the tank, they can be inspected and serviced without entering a confined space or draining the reactor.
Process diagram
Feed → completely mixed anaerobic reactor → external tubular UF → permeate + biogas
Reserved for a static process diagram showing feed, buffer, completely mixed anaerobic reactor, external tubular UF loop, permeate to reuse or discharge, biogas to the energy reuse cycle, and the surplus sludge draw-off.
Static process diagram — final artwork to be supplied.
Feed and equalisation
High-strength effluent is buffered so that the reactor sees a stable load. Pre-treatment needs are minimal compared with conventional anaerobic systems, which is one of the main practical advantages.
Completely mixed anaerobic reactor
A low-rate, completely mixed reactor converts organic matter to biogas. Because biomass retention is handled by the membrane rather than by granulation, the reactor can carry a high solids concentration and tolerate a COD load above 250 g/L — far beyond what a UASB or EGSB configuration handles.
External tubular ultrafiltration
Glorinda's low-energy tubular UF membranes separate the treated permeate from the biomass. The units are mounted outside the tank, dry and accessible, and are specified for eight years of membrane life. Net energy consumption across the process is 1.5–2.5 kWh per cubic metre of permeate.
Biogas recovery
Methane-rich biogas is collected and routed to the energy reuse cycle: a boiler, a CHP engine or upgrading, depending on what the site can use. This is where the operating cost inverts — the process is net energy positive.
Permeate reuse or discharge
The system delivers crystal-clear effluent suitable for water reuse applications. Where a higher grade is required, membrane, ion exchange or EDI polishing follows.
| Feature | AnaeroMBR | Conventional anaerobic (UASB/EGSB) | Aerobic MBR |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSS / FOG tolerance | Very high | Low | Medium |
| COD load (g/L) | >250 | <15 | <10 |
| Biomass retention | Membrane-based | Granulation | Settling |
| Start-up time | Short | Long (seeding) | Moderate |
| Pre-treatment needs | Minimal | High | Moderate |
| Effluent quality | High | Variable | High |
| Maintenance access | External, dry | Internal | Submerged |
| System complexity | Modular, simple | Complex | Medium |
| Energy usage | Low, net positive | Low | High (aeration) |
| COD removal | Up to 98–99% | 75–90% | Up to 99% |
Source: Glorinda AnaeroMBR technical flyer.
Applications
Where it is used
Anywhere the organic load is high enough that destroying it aerobically is a significant power cost.
Industries
- Food and beverage — dairy, brewing, starch and processing effluent
- Chemical — high-COD reactor effluent and process drainage
- Oil, gas and petrochemical — high-COD petrochemical streams
- Pulp and paper — high-COD pulp mill and organic streams
- Pharmaceutical — production effluent with high organic load
- Agriculture and agro-processing — livestock, manure and food waste streams
- Municipal — energy recovery from wastewater and sludge
- Textile — high-COD dye-house streams as part of a wider train
Typical applications
- High COD and BOD industrial effluent
- Streams carrying fats, oils and grease that upset conventional anaerobic systems
- Saline effluent where granulation fails
- Sludge-to-energy schemes at municipal works
- Sites where sludge disposal is the dominant operating cost
- Retrofits where an aerobic plant is at its aeration capacity
- Compact sites with no room for a larger biological stage
Equipment
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Read moreEngineering services
Engineering support for this technology
Selecting a process is an engineering decision, not a purchasing one. We run feasibility and pre-feasibility studies, characterise the stream, compare the routes on capital and operating cost, and act as owner's engineer while somebody else builds it if that suits you better.
Evidence
Projects
Sample layout. Reference projects are being cleared for publication with the clients concerned. The structure below is final; the content is placeholder.
SampleWater reuse retrofit — sample card
Card layout for a completed water reuse project: stream data before and after, recovery achieved, scope Glorinda held, and the client's own words.
SampleZLD package — sample card
Card layout for a zero liquid discharge package: feed characterisation, evaporator type selected, solid output route, and commissioning duration.
SampleOwner's engineer mandate — sample card
Card layout for an advisory mandate: the client's decision, the options assessed, and what changed in the tender as a result.
FAQ
Questions engineers ask
Taken from the questions procurement teams, plant managers and consultants actually send us.
How much COD can it actually remove?
Up to 98% COD removal, giving an effluent quality ready for discharge or reuse. The comparison table on this page puts that at up to 98–99% against 75–90% for a conventional anaerobic system.
What does it cost to run?
Energy use is 1.5–2.5 kWh per cubic metre of net permeate output, with no aeration, no flocculants and no gas scouring. Against that, the biogas produced makes the process net energy positive, and sludge production falls by up to 75% compared with an aerobic process.
How long do the membranes last?
Membrane durability is specified at eight years. The units are external and out-of-tank, so replacement and inspection do not require draining the reactor or confined-space entry.
Do we need to seed it with granular sludge?
No. Fast start-up is one of the reasons the system is chosen: no granular seed and no complex configurations are needed, and commissioning is rapid.
Will it cope with our fats and salinity?
It tolerates high COD, TSS, fats, oils and grease, salinity and toxic compounds better than conventional anaerobic systems, because biomass retention does not depend on granulation. Send us an analysis and we will be specific about your stream.
Conversion
Take this further
Send us the stream data, the discharge limit or the equipment list you are working from. An engineer reads every enquiry and replies with the questions that actually decide the solution — not a brochure.