Kunming Underground MBR: a Chinese

case study
06 January 2017

Author
Yu Huang, Cranfield University, UK.

An overview of Kunming Underground Wastewater Treatment Plant, China

1. Introduction
China features many of the largest municipal wastewater MBRs in the world. Apart from
their capacity, some also are ambitious in their construction. The installation at Kunming
City, commissioned in 2012, is one such example.

At an ADF (average daily flow) capacity of 150,000 m3/d and a peak loading factor of 1.3
(and hence a peak daily flow, or PDF, of 195,000 m3/d), it is a substantial plant. It is also
constructed below ground, in compliance with the urban planning of the city, and provides a
non-potable reuse water flow of 45,000 m3/d.

The plant is intended to meet the urban sewage treatment plant pollutant discharge standards
(GB18918-2002), Level A standard of 10, 10, 15 and 0.5 mg/L for BOD, SS, TN and TP
respectively (Table 1). As well as the use of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for treating the
main flow, the sludge is dewatered by centrifugation and the ventilated air treated by
biofiltration.

2. Plant design
2.1 Preliminary treatment
The plant employs three stages of screening. Four 10 mm coarse screens are followed by
another four 2 m-diameter 5 mm rotary drum screens followed by grit removal in an aerated
grit chamber before final fine screening using six 2.6 m-diameter rotary drum screens rated at
1 mm.

Figure 1 Schematic of plant

Figure 2: Geometric 3D scale model of the base and wall structure, with the membrane trains
indicated in the foreground
Figure 3a: Rotary drum screens

Figure 3b: Rotary drum screens

2.2 Tanks, hydraulics and membrane

The plant comprises two lines, each including both an anaerobic zone and two anoxic zones
for nutrient removal. The two biological tanks each have dimensions of 52.3 wide × 116.3
high × 8.25 m deep, with an effective depth of 7.0 m. The membrane tanks have the same
width and are 27.8 m long with a total depth of 5 m, giving an effective depth of 3.6 m. Each
membrane line contains 14 trains, 28 in total, with space for ten membrane stacks, nine of
which are currently occupied. The total number of membrane units is 252, each containing 46
modules with a design membrane area of 27.5 m2.

At the average flow the total hydraulic retention time is 14.1 h: 1.1 h in the anaerobic zone, 3
h in the anoxic zone, 4 h in the aerobic zone, 4.8 h in the secondary anoxic zone and 1.2 h in
the membrane tanks. The design denitrification recycle ratio from the aerobic zone to the first
anoxic zone is 3:1, compared to 2:1 from the anoxic to anaerobic zone.

The membrane tanks operate at a recycle ratio of 4-5:1 to limit sludge concentration
polarisation in the membrane tank. At these hydraulic retention times and at a solids retention
time (SRT) generally above 30 d and loadings of 0.07-0.10 kg BOD5/(kgMLSS.d), the mixed
liquor suspended solids (MLSS) varies between 5 and 7 g/L in the process tanks and 6-10 g/L
in the membrane tanks.

The DO concentration is kept above 2 mg/L by fine bubble diffusers operating at a design
maximum air:water ratio of 5:1, compared with ~0.2 mg/L in the anoxic zones. The
biological nutrient removal (BNR) design is based on the introduction of the feedwater at
multiple points in the biochemical zones, the ratio between the anaerobic, primary anoxic and
secondary anoxic zones being 20:45:35.

Figure 4a: Inside the membrane tanks

Figure 5: The biological tanks are below floor level: they are not visible

The membrane module is based on a PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) hollow fibre (HF)
membrane and was supplied by Origin Water of Beijing. It is scoured by coarse-bubble
aeration via a perforated pipe at an inlet pressure of 4.5 m water, providing a specific aeration
demand (SADp) of 15 Nm3 air per m3 permeate. The average net flux attained is 19.6
L/(m2.h). Permeate is pumped using 30 × 30 kW pumps rated at 334 m3/h flow against a head
of 16 m. The 16 kW backwash pumps (duty and standby) are rated at 250 m3/h at a head of
12 m.
12 centrifugal air blowers are installed on the site. The biological process is fed with four
blowers with one back-up, all rated at 313 m3/min. The membrane tanks are supplied by six
280 m3/min blowers, with one back-up.

Other pumping operations are for membrane chemical cleaning, achieved with two 18.5 kW
centrifugal pumps rated at 535 m3/h against an 8 m head, and sludge pumping using four 1
kW centrifugal pumps rated at 160 m3/h against a 15 m head. The four sludge streams each
feed a dewatering process, dosed with polymer, with the extracted dewatered sludge (~20 %
dry solids) stored solids fed to two storage tanks by screw pumps.

Figure 6: The HF membrane module (Origin Water)

2.3 Chemicals
2.3.1 Membrane cleaning

The membranes are cleaned using the classic combination of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)
and citric acid. The stock solution strength of the two reagents are 10% and 30% respectively.
Routine weekly cleaning in place (CIP) is carried out at concentrations of 500 mg/L NaOCl
and 0.2 wt% citric acid, the reagents being applied sequentially by back-pulsing through the
membrane modules. This is supplemented by similar monthly cleans at higher concentrations
of 3000 mg/L and 0.8 wt% respectively, and annual off-line cleaning by immersion in the
same reagents at concentrations of 3000 mg/L and 2 wt% respectively. The offline clean
employs reagent flows of 6000 L/h and take a day, compared with 2273 L/h for the monthly
cleans and around 765 L/h for the 40-minute weekly cleans.

The spent NaOCl and citric acid cleaning reagents are respectively dosed with 30% sodium
thiosulfate and 45% sodium hydroxide prior to discharge. The annual consumption of these
two chemicals is 2.06 and 3.29 tonnes respectively.

Figure 7a: Chemical cleaning dosing pumps

Figure 7b: Chemical cleaning storage tanks

The non-potable water reuse disinfection system is dosed via a diaphragm metering pump at a
rate of 141 L/h with a 10 wt% NaOCl solution, stored in three 12 m3 tanks, to a concentration
of 6 mg/L as Cl2. The 1.5 kW pump is rated at 300 L/h against a pressure of 3.5 bar.

2.3.3 Nutrient removal and balancing

Chemical removal of the residual phosphorus from the BPR process is through
polyaluminium chloride (PACl) dosing at 12 mg/L from a 10% stock solution at a rate of 490
L/h. The stock solution is prepared daily in a two-compartment 18 m3 tank.

Carbon balancing is conducted using 40%-50% sodium acetate, dosed according to the C/N
ratio at a rate of 30-90 mg/L BOD equivalent.

2.4 Ventilation

The air is treated by biofiltration based on a trickling filter with a specialised media which is
fed with a nutrient solution (N, P and trace elements) to sustain the biofilm. Volatile organic
carbon (VOC) and sulphurous and nitrogenous species are either assimilated in the biofilm or
converted to sulphate, nitrate and CO2. The wastewater from this operation is fed to the
aerobic tank and the treated, deodorised gas vented to the atmosphere.

Figure 8: Biofiltration ventilation system

3. Plant performance
A daily log is taken of all main sludge quality parameters, including filterability, sludge
volume index (SVI), MLSS, MLVSS and so the F/M ratio at the operating SRT. The
comparatively low organic loadings have led to extremely low F:M ratios (~0.01 d-1) along
with the tendency to accumulate inert material in the tanks, the latter indicated by
MLVSS/MLSS ratios below 0.5.
Figure 10a: Membrane outlet

Figure 10b: Membrane outlet

The low organic loads arise for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is infiltration by river
water due to the condition of the collection system. There is also dilution from storm water.
Lastly the Chinese diet – very low in dairy products – tends to produce lower concentrations
BOD and COD.

Despite these challenges the plant has operated without any major issues at an average overall
specific energy demand of 0.5 kWh/m-3. It is just one example of the large number (at least
15) of >100 MLD capacity MBR plants operating in China based on the Origin Water
membrane technology, and is an indication of the country’s ambition in implementation of
the technology.

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