Commercial Application of an innovative membrane

bioreactor for waste water treatment at Glanbia Ingredients

Ltd. Ballyragget Site

Presented by: Karen Kennedy

Product Portfolio 2001

Butter 32,833

Cheese 14,628

Rennet Casein 9,845

Acid Casein 6,097

Lactose 16,922

Whey Powders 25,386

105,711

Tonnes

Glanbia was faced with two major challenges following the issue of our IPC Licence in December 1998.

 i. Following the merger of the Avonmore Foods Plc. and Waterford Foods Plc. to form Glanbia Group, it was decided to close the Dungarvan site and process up to 60% additional milk and whey on the Ballyragget site. At the same time, the emission limit values in the new IPCL were being reduced.

ii. The type of emission values outlined in this license could not be delivered by conventional technology. 

Glanbia carried out research on what technology was available in the latter half of 1998 with the objective of upgrading its waste water treatment plant for the 1999

peak season.

Development of the New Process

Technology

OPTIONS CONSIDERED FOR PLANT EXPANSION

• Remain with proven conventionaly technology

• Extend existing biotower, increase clarification capacity

• Or deviate from the norm and rewrite the rules of water

treatment.

Waste Water Treatment

Inputs• Milk per annum - 201M gallons• Whey per annum - 203M gallons

Outputs520 million Gallons Wastewater To Be Treated• 490 million Gallons Treated Permeate To River Nore• 3.5 million gallons of Sludge

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Average Loss kg COD/m3

Intake Cream Sep Whey Casein Cheese Butter Oil

Plant

1998

1999

2000

2001

Loss Minimisation

Disposal Costs/annum £464,000

Landbank Maintenance

Costs/annum

£54,000

Total Costs £518,000

Income from Pig

farmers/annum

£100,000

Waste Minimisation:Delactosed Permeate

800-850m3/day

Diverted from effluent to Cooling Line

<50mg/l COD

Rennet Casein

RO2

UF2

Lactose WPC

Acid Whey

Acid Whey Wash Water

UO

UF3

RO1 Gemini

P R

100m3/day

Off Site Treatment

P

R

P

P

Waste Minimisation:Whey Gemini Plant

100m3/hr

5 Evaporators

Recycled as Boiler Feed Make Up Water

Recover & use as pre-rinse for membrane CIP

PreRinse in Whey CIP’s, evaps, tanks, silos etc.

General Cleaning

RO Polisher

Retentate

to Effluent

Waste Minimisation:2nd Stage Condensate Polishing

OPTION CHOSEN

• To expand treatment capacity from 15,000Kgs COD to

30,000kgs/Day, 2 limiting factors:

• Oxygen Transfer in aeration basin

• And the inability of settlement in final clarifiers at MLSS

above 2,000.

• Solution – Suprafilt fine bubble air diffusers and Kubota

membranes.

• Operating now at 8,000 mg/l MLSS in the oxidation ditch

BOD ReductionBOD Reduction

BOD IN

20,000kg/day

Conventional Technology 98.6%

Kubota Technology 99.5%

WWTP

BOD OUT

Principle of Operation

Screened Effluent ex oxidation

Ditch

Air in

In

Waste Sludge(to further treatment)

A Crap Commitment

Treated &disinfected

effluent

Out

The Kubota membrane bioreactor is essentially a high MLSS activated sludge process where the Kubota membrane treatment units are submerged within the extended activated sludge tanks. Typically, the activated sludge is maintained in the range 15 – 20,000 mg/l MLSS.

Specific Innovative ElementsSpecific Innovative Elements

Specific Innovative ElementsSpecific Innovative Elements

In operation, the treated effluent through the membrane units is controlled by available gravity head (typically 1 – 1.5 metres).

The number of units installed is dependant on the maximum flow rate required. The plant at Ballyragget comprises 74 packs for a guarantee flow rate of 7,300 m3 per day. However, it is hoped that flow rates of 9,0003 per day will be achieved.

0.4 microns

The Filtration SpectrumThe Filtration Spectrum

0

10

20

30

mg/l

Traditional Technology v's Kubota Membranes Results to Date

KubotaMembranes2001 Limit

TraditionalTechnology

SS BOD Ortho-P

River Nore (Downstream) = Q4 Unpolluted

Improvements in Suspended Solids Improvements in Suspended Solids

Conventional Technology: Feb- Mar 1999 Suspended Solids EPA 2001 limit

01020304050607080

25-Jan 04-Feb 14-Feb 24-Feb 05-Mar 15-Mar 25-Mar 04-Apr

Date

SS

mg/

l

SS

Limit 2001

Kubota Plant: Feb- Mar 2000 Suspended Solid 2001 EPA Limit 2001

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

25/01/00 04/02/00 14/02/00 24/02/00 05/03/00 15/03/00 25/03/00 04/04/00

Date

Su

spen

ded

Sol

ids

SS

Limit 2001

1999 2000

Improvements in Biological Oxygen Improvements in Biological Oxygen

Demand Demand

1999 2000

Conventional Technology: Feb Mar 1999 BOD Results EPA 2001 limit

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

25-Jan 04-Feb 14-Feb 24-Feb 05-Mar 15-Mar 25-Mar 04-Apr

Date

BO

D m

g/l

BOD

Limit 2001

Kubota Plant: Feb-Mar 2000 BOD EPA Limits 2001

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

25/01/00 04/02/00 14/02/00 24/02/00 05/03/00 15/03/00 25/03/00 04/04/00

Date

BO

D m

g/l

BOD

Limit 2001

Improvements in Ortho P Improvements in Ortho P

1999 2000

Conventional Technology: 1999 Ortho P Results EPA 2000 and 2001 limits

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

25-Jan 04-Feb 14-Feb 24-Feb 05-Mar 15-Mar 25-Mar 04-Apr

Date

Ort

ho

P m

g/l

Ortho P

Limit 2001

Limit 2000

Kubota Plant: Feb- Mar 2000 Ortho Phosphate EPA 2000 and 2001 limits

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

31-Dec 05-Jan 10-Jan 15-Jan 20-Jan 25-Jan 30-Jan

Date

Ort

ho

P m

g/l

Ortho P

Limit 2001

Limit 2000

WWTP FlowWWTP Flow

DenitrificationtankExisting Oxidation ditch (13000 m3)

Preliminary treatment:- Screen- DAF- Biofilters

Existing settlement tanks

Outfall to river

Feed 7-9000 m3/d

Recycle/returnsludge

Future capacity

Re-use

16 t/d BOD

Kubota membrane units

Energy Requirements for new plant

• Upgrading and Expansion of the Treatment plant cost IR£3

Million, with the Kubota membranes costing IR£1.6 Million

and the installation of a new aeration system, Suprafilt Fine

bubble diffusers.

• Aerzen fine bubble diffusers – 50-60% increase in Oxygen

Transfer when compared with surface rotors.

• Energy usage.

• Conventional plant would not achieve the 10:15, BOD:SS

standard

Operational Difficulties Encountered

• 150% Of design airflow was required to maintain flux.

• No Standby blower.

• Membrane scaling incidents.

• Membrane sliming.

• Sludging between membrane plates, reduces flux.

• Wear on plates.