Biological treatment of industrial wastewater using Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology is known as an efficient method to neutralize organically degradable toxins in water. The novelty of this project lies in redesigning the MBBR to work under water, placed on the seabed next to oil and gas production platforms.
The awarded funds will be used to conduct a large-scale pilot test of the technology. The plan is to construct test facilities at the harbor of Fredericia and treat water sourced from the Danish oil production. The MBBR vessel itself will be placed under water.
The primary objective of the project is to demonstrate that MBBR can be designed for operation under water under realistic conditions. Furthermore, we will stress test the system to demonstrate that it is capable of handling operational variations and clarify maintenance requirements. We will thus demonstrate that an MBBR placed on the seabed is a technically, economically, and environmentally feasible and safe method to achieve Zero Harmful Discharge of process water from offshore oil production operations.
DTU Offshore has funded the research to a maturity level that is fitting for continued technology maturation through EUDP. The Centre has also contributed with industry knowledge towards a concept that is feasible for retrofitting on existing installations. DTU Offshore will continue to provide this support and guidance to the project during the EUDP project period.
The project starts on October 1, 2022 and will run over the next three years.
