Manufacturing Environmental Issues

• Joe Kurian, W.L. Gore & Associates
• Sujata Bhatia, Harvard University

Session Description:

Consciousness of environmental issues, as well as compliance with environmental standards, are critical to a sustainable chemical enterprise. The session will cover environmentally conscious design of chemical processes; compliance with Globally Harmonized Standards; and cost savings achieved through waste reduction.

Optimizing Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) Design for Chemical Industry Applications

Li An, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) is a well-known technology for biological treatment of wastewater. The technology originated through scientific work at the Universities of Lund, Sweden, and Trondheim, Norway, during the 1980s and was first brought to market by AnoxKaldnes. Since the development of this technology, AnoxKaldnes has installed over 600 MBBR systems in the municipal and industrial markets. In addition, the company has performed hundreds of laboratory, bench-scale, and pilot tests performed to evaluate specific design parameters associated with MBBR research, development, and implementation in a variety of industries.

Over the past twenty years, the MBBR technology has evolved and many lessons have been learned about the application of this technology in chemical and other industries. Among the various suppliers of MBBR systems today, there is a tendency to under-design MBBR systems for wastewater treatment needs because of the unique characteristics of the influent wastewater from chemical plants. The presentation will highlight the lessons learned based on data from case studies of the MBBR technology applied in chemical and related industries. In particular, the presentation will address the following design parameters to educate the chemical industry on this technology and provide key questions that should be asked to ensure an adequate design prior to investment for implementation.