Securing sufficient water resources will be critical in efforts to improve living standards and industrial development worldwide. Building on the technological expertise of more than 1700 delivered ozone generators, Mitsubishi Electric has been developing its Eco-MBR as a solution for areas around the world that are experiencing increased demand for water.
Tests so far have shown that the Eco-MBR is able to achieve a high-quantity flux, or quantity of permeated water per membrane surface area, that is more than twice the rate of conventional MBRs. The key is regularly backwashing of the membranes with highly concentrated ozonated water to remove virtually all organic foulants and so increase membrane permeability. In addition, the Eco-MBR lowers energy consumption by using a reduced flow rate for air bubbles that are emitted from a blower to clean the membrane surfaces. The Eco-MBR also enables the use of fewer membranes, resulting in reduced plant and system footprints