Microvi completes MNE trial at Thames Water wastewater treatment plant

Thames Water Utilities and Microvi Biotechnologies have announced the completion of a nine-month trial of new wastewater treatment technology, called Microvi MNE (MNE).

The completely automated MNE demonstration plant was set up as a tertiary nitrification system to remove ammonia. MNE operates between 5-22 degrees Celsius, and has been shown to remove ammonia consistently from wastewater during continuous operation. This technology has outperformed the ammonia removal rates of the existing nitrifying sand filters.

With regard to temperature, variability in flow, process shutdowns and rates of load change, MNE indicated resilience in performance.

It bolstered the treatment process and under all conditions met less than 1 mg/l effluent ammonia, with the majority being less than 0.2 mg/l.

Furthermore, the technology did not increase suspended solids across the reactor.

Microvi global director of commercial and technical strategy Ajay Nair said: “Microvi MNE continues to demonstrate superior capabilities and unique advantages across many facets of water and wastewater treatment.

“We are fortunate to work with Thames Water who values innovation and is looking for ways to optimize for the future.  By supporting the development of the technology, they are able to create a pipeline of solutions that can support the delivery of their objectives in AMP 7 and beyond.”

Thames Water research, development and innovation director Andrea Gysin said: “Microvi have taken an innovative approach to wastewater process intensification by engineering natural biological processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. The trial demonstrated that MNE outperformed the ammonia removal performance of our nitrifying sand filters, providing us with a viable solution to augment process performance to meet increasingly stringent consents.”

Compared to conventional treatment processes, MNE has a smaller footprint and offers flexibility in process configuration. MNE process can be used in existing infrastructure, and does not require any complex process controls or maintenance