MBBR System: Media, Aeration and Retention Screens, Sized as One Package
Most MBBR enquiries start with one question — “price per m³ of media?” But a working MBBR stage is a package: carriers to grow the biofilm, aeration to keep them moving and fed with oxygen, and a retention screen to keep the carriers in the tank. Price the media alone and the missing pieces show up later, at commissioning, when they are most expensive to fix. This page is the whole package, in process order.
>1,600 m²/m³
top protected surface area (MBBR76)
15–65%
typical fill ratio range
30 m³
of media per 20 ft container
>15 years
carrier service life
WHERE IT GOES WRONG
Where media-only projects go wrong
Three problems repeat on MBBR projects that were bought as media-only: carriers escaping through an outlet that was never screened, dead zones where aeration cannot keep the media fluidised, and tanks that miss their ammonia target because the fill ratio was guessed instead of calculated. None of these is a media quality problem — all three are package problems, and all three are avoidable on paper before anything ships.
HOW IT WORKS
The process, in order
1
Influent screen
Coarse solids removed before the reactor.
2
Aeration & mixing
Air keeps carriers circulating and supplies oxygen.
3
Carriers
Biofilm grows on protected surface area.
4
Retention screen
Treated water leaves, carriers stay.
5
Clarifier
Biomass solids are separated downstream.
THE PACKAGE
The components
Hydrophilic Sponge Media
the upgrade option: more capacity in existing tanks where you cannot raise the fill of plastic carriers.
Fine Bubble Disc Diffusers
aeration sized to the tank floor and the media volume, not guessed by tank size alone.
MBBR Retention Screens
stainless screens matched to your carrier and outlet, quoted with the media as standard.
Complete Aeration Systems
diffuser grids and layout for new builds and retrofits, supplied as one package.
Send us your flow, load and tank size — we size the package and quote it as one.
TWO ROUTES
Two ways to build it
Pure MBBR
Carriers carry the whole biological load; typical for new plants and compact footprints.
IFAS Retrofit
Carriers are added to an existing activated-sludge tank to raise capacity without new civil works; the existing aeration and clarifier must be checked before anyone promises a number.
Tell us which one you are building and we size accordingly.
SELECTION
Which package fits your situation?
| Situation | Recommended package |
|---|---|
| New treatment plant | HDPE carriers + disc/tube aeration + retention screens, sized as one package |
| Capacity upgrade, no new tanks | Sponge media or added HDPE carriers (IFAS), after an aeration & clarifier check |
| High-ammonia industrial wastewater | High-surface-area carriers (MBBR64/76 class) + aeration checked against oxygen demand |
| RAS biofilter | MBBR19-class carriers + retention screens + aeration matched to feed load |
SIZING
Design quick-reference
Fill ratio typically 15–65% of tank volume, depending on the organic / ammonia load and your carrier’s protected area (650–1,600 m²/m³ across our range). Media volume is calculated from your BOD and ammonia load — never from tank size alone. Send us the data below and the calculation is part of our quotation, with the reasoning shown. To learn the process in depth, read our MBBR process flow guide.
QUESTIONS
FAQ
Yes — many customers do. We will still ask about your outlet and aeration, because if either is missing, the media cannot do its job; screens and diffusers can be added to the same shipment.
Yes. Send flow, BOD/COD and ammonia plus tank dimensions, and we return the media volume, fill ratio and a quotation.
If you have an existing activated-sludge tank with spare clarifier capacity, IFAS usually wins on cost. If you are building new or replacing a stage, pure MBBR is simpler to operate. Send us the existing plant data and we will tell you which fits — including when neither does.
Compare price per 1,000 m² of protected surface area, not per m³ — carriers differ too much for volume alone to mean anything. Our price guide explains the maths.
Media packs at 0.1 m³ per bag — 30 m³ per 20 ft container, 70 m³ per 40 ft HQ; screens and diffusers ship in the same container wherever geometry allows.