Honolulu Membrane Bioreactor Pilot Study

The current state of wastewater treatment/disposal/recycling and its integrated relationship to drinking water supply in Hawaii is varied. The story on each of the five major islands is somewhat different and the focus of this project is the Island of Oahu, location of the state capital in Honolulu, and home to more than 70% of the population (but less than 10% of the combined land area). Oahu, with a population of approximately one million, is the 51st most populous metropolitan area in the United States and has an area of approximately 600 square miles. Oahu consists of the single county of Honolulu which functions as the major municipal water purveyor and the major municipal wastewater treatment and disposal provider. To help facilitate the increased adoption of water reuse, the demonstration of new treatment technologies , including membrane bioreactors (MBR), is needed. The project consisted of a side-by-side pilot demonstration of six different membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems at the Honolulu wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and a variety of activities, including bench- and pilot-scale tests, aeration testing, and a feasibility study.

Originally funded as WERF project Reuse-04-04.