This month, the works to convert the conventional wastewater treatment plant of the cutting room into a membrane bioreactor have been completed.

The reconversion involved several improvements:

• Installation of an automatic rotary screen with a mesh size of 1 mm, which improves solid retention compared to the previous coarse screen.

• Conversion of the former flotation unit (previously used for biomass separation) into a grease trap for fat removal.

• Transformation of the homogenization tank into an anoxic reactor, where the denitrification reaction for nitrogen removal takes place.

• Increase in the sludge concentration of the biological treatment, enhancing the capacity for organic matter removal.

Last but not least, the installation of an ultrafiltration membrane tank (capacity: 400 m³/day) efficiently separates the biomass, producing permeate water free of suspended solids and with significantly lower concentrations of COD, BOD₅, and nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate).

The filtered water obtained through the membrane ensures the quality of the effluent discharged into public waterways, facilitating plant operators’ management.