Advanced Wastewater Treatment Technology Installed at Largest Membrane Bioreactor Facility in Utah

GE (USA) have recently announced their wastewater treatment technology is currently being used in the largest membrane bioreactor (MRB) in the state of Utah. This will provide Utah with reliable wastewater treatment exceeding current regulatory requirements. The MRB is found in the Jordan Basin Water Reclamation Facility (JBWRF) and has chosen the ZeeWeed 500 ultrafiltration, developed by GE.

GE's wastewater treatment solution will separate water and solids. There are various pumping systems also located in the process building that are associated with the treatment and filtration processes as well as high-speed turbo-blowers that provide the air required to operate the membrane filtration system.

Using this technology JBWRF have been able to bring down their site footprint significantly compared to their previous treatment technologies. Also by exceeding current regulatory demands, the ZeeWeed membrane will ensure the facility will help meet future demand and standards.

The JBWRF, owned and operated by the South Valley Sewer District, has a current treatment capacity of 15 million gallons a day (mgd) and is designed to be expanded in the future to an ultimate capacity of 30 mgd in order to meet the community’s growth demands.

“The Jordan Basin facility will continue to see the benefits of installing GE’s MBR technology at their site for many years to come because the GE technology allows for easy expansion,” said Yuvbir Singh, general manager, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “By using GE’s ZeeWeed technology, the facility also will be able to treat wastewater that will be clean enough to be discharged, meeting stringent regulatory standards.”

The South Valley Sewer District provides wastewater collection and treatment service to an area of approximately 108 square miles in south Salt Lake County and north Utah County. A 3.25-acre wetland area was constructed north of the treatment facility to mitigate areas affected by the construction project. The wetland will be maintained by the district using treated water from the Jordan Basin facility.

GE’s ZeeWeed 500 reinforced, hollow-fibre membranes have been proven over more than two decades of wastewater treatment and water reuse applications. ZeeWeed 500 technology is an advanced filtration technology that separates particles, bacteria and viruses from water or wastewater. Nearly 1,000 plants worldwide use this technology to produce superior quality drinking water and to meet or exceed stringent wastewater treatment and water reuse standards.