GE to provide wastewater treatment technology to Australian sewage treatment plant

Unitywater has selected GE’s LEAPmbr membrane bioreactor (MBR) wastewater treatment technology for its Maleny sewage treatment plant in Queensland, Australia.

The LEAPmbr technology is expected to enable the plant to double its daily water treatment capacity to one million litres. It will also allow Unitywater to meet environmental guidelines, address water quality issues and increase the overall productivity of the treatment system.

Unitywater infrastructure planning and capital delivery executive manager Simon Taylor said: "By upgrading our plant, we’ll be able to treat more wastewater to meet the needs of a growing population, while also meeting stringent environmental regulations and minimising costs."

The LEAPmbr technology saves on construction costs with a design that reduces the membrane bioreactor footprint by 20%. It also reduces operating costs with energy savings of 30%.

GE will also provide its ZeeWeed 500D MBR technology, including modules, cassettes, blowers, permeate pumps and turbidity meters to Unitywater.

GE Australia and New Zealand Power and Water sales manager Ish Hakim said that the LEAPmbr technology and ZeeWeed 500 membranes will increase the plant’s treatment capacity with a compact footprint.

"The added wastewater treatment capacity will help Maleny keep up with the tourist region’s expected population growth over the next decade," Hakim added.

Australian engineering firm Monadelphous is currently upgrading the plant, which is anticipated to start operations at the end of the year.