Use of Membrane Biological Reactors Following Conventional Sewage Treatment and its Influence on the Quality of the Final Effluent
water sustainability, tertiary treatment, water reuse
Growing water scarcity and pressure for sustainable solutions are driving the adoption of advanced technologies for wastewater treatment. This study evaluated the efficiency of a full-scale Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) as a supplement to conventional sewage treatment at a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) installed in a hotel in Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco. Growing water scarcity and pressure for sustainable solutions are driving the adoption of advanced technologies for wastewater treatment. This study evaluated the efficiency of a full-scale Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) as a supplement to conventional sewage treatment at a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) installed in a hotel in Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco. Initially, bibliometric and scientometric surveys were conducted over a 10-year time period. After refinement stages, 50 documents remained eligible for the research. The analysis and mapping of publications were conducted using VOSviewer and Excel software, enabling the identification of trends, authors, institutions, and countries with the greatest scientific relevance on the proposed topic. China led the way in the number of published documents, followed by the United States, Spain, and South Korea. This highlights the participation of Asian and European countries in the evolving discussions regarding the use of membrane biological reactor technology in wastewater treatment. To begin the study, 250 samples were collected from different points in the system between May and October 2024. The samples were then subjected to laboratory analysis for the following physical and chemical parameters: turbidity, total alkalinity, electrical conductivity, temperature, DO, COD, BOD, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, settleable solids, and TDS. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using PAST software. The results indicated that the adoption of MBR led to significant improvements in the quality of treated effluent, highlighting the removal of 62.7% of COD and 94.1% of BOD, in addition to significant reductions in SSed and turbidity. These results allow compliance with legal standards for discharge into water bodies and enable non-potable effluent reuse. Stabilization of parameters over time was also observed, demonstrating the contribution of MBR to the removal of organic load. It was concluded that the integration of MBR with conventional treatment is an effective and technically feasible strategy for improving WWTPs, especially in areas and sectors with high water demand, contributing to water resource conservation, environmental protection, and compliance with legal and sustainability guidelines.