A three year research project is proposed for the development and application of improved biological systems for recycling and reuse of textile and municipal wastewater. Aerobic and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems will be further developed with the following objectives:

• Improved biological degradation for the removal of recalcitrant compounds and complete germ reduction, absolutely necessary for water recycling and reuse
• Reduction of investment costs by improving the specific flux rates
• Reduction of operation costs by using anaerobic systems (methane production), by developing low energy membrane modules and by reducing the excess sludge production
• Reduction of the specific treatment costs to 1 – 2 EUR/m3
• Demonstration of the feasibility of MBR systems for water recycling and reuse with pilot tests in the textile industry and in a municipal wastewater plant

A membrane bioreactor(MBR) system will be developed for the recycling of textile and municipal wastewater which is very important for North African countries. Main topics will be the increase of the biological degradation by separation of larger molecules and the reduction of operating and investment costs. The specific treatment costs should be 1 – 2 EUR/m3. New membrane materials offer low cut-offs with higher flux rates by lower velocities (e.g. open PVDF ultrafiltration). Starting with nearly 10 years experience , modules and membranes will be selected, compared and optimised in cross-flow experiments. A limited number of membranes and modules will be used in combination with bench-scale bioreactor for investigations with municipal and textile wastewater. The experiments will show the cut-off, the specific flow rates and the overall performance in combination with biological systems. Anaerobic reactors will be used for the treatment of municipal wastewater (energy recovery and CO2 reduction) and aerobic systems for treatment of harder biodegradable textile wastewater. Pilot tests in North Africa will be carried out.for optimisation and for demonstration of the applicability of MBR-systems for water recycling and reuse. Additional bench-scale will be done to optimise submerged, aerated low-energy membrane modules. This will be realised by using new membrane materials and module concepts. Which secure a proper hydrodynamic behaviour. The results will be confirmed in the pilot plant tests. The design data for the investigated MBR-recycling systems will be summarised. A final business management analysis will be assess the applicability and the market chances of the improved MBR-technology for the recycling and reuse of municipal and textile wastewater.