Canada’s largest MBR plant will have GE membranes

A 36,000 m³/d expanded membrane bioreactor will be at the heart of an upgraded wastewater treatment plant for the city of Brandon in Manitoba, Canada.

The facility, which will use GE ZeeWeed membranes, will be the largest MBR plant in Canada when it enters service in 2012.



The existing membrane plant, which also used ZeeWeed membranes, was first constructed in 2008 to treat the wastewater from an expansion at the Maple Leaf Pork hog-kill facility. Later, the desire to improve water treatment and expand capacity for the entire city caused Brandon to seek an additional upgrade to increase the operating flow.

The upgraded facility, designed by AECOM’s Winnipeg office, will treat the waste from the city’s existing plants as well as additional waste from a Pfizer manufacturing plant. It will be designed to accommodate an increasing population and a growing manufacturing capacity.

The upgraded facility will increase the number of trains from three to nine include prefabricated stainless-steel membrane tanks and equipment skids to minimize site footprint and construction costs on site. The membrane trains will be integrated with the existing MBR facility to ensure a seamless, control package in the centralized facility.

“The membrane units that GE Power & Water supplied for the second phase of our upgrade have exceeded our expectations in every aspect. We have been provided a top-notch product with excellent follow-up service. We look forward to working with them again during the final portion of the upgrade,” said Patrick Pulak, city of Brandon.