Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade in Johor, Malaysia

Project Background

A municipal wastewater treatment plant in Johor, Malaysia originally used a conventional activated sludge process with a design capacity of 15,000 m³/day. Due to population growth and industrial development in the service area, the actual influent flow exceeded the design load by 35%. COD and ammonia nitrogen frequently exceeded discharge limits, exposing the plant to heavy fines from environmental authorities. The main constraint was the lack of expansion space, as the plant site was surrounded by urban buildings.

MBBR Retrofit Solution

Our engineering team carried out an in‑situ upgrade without adding new civil structures. The two existing aeration tanks were converted into MBBR reactors, filled with our HDPE MBBR Media (Φ25×10 mm, effective specific surface area ≥640 m²/m³) at a filling ratio of 45‑50%. The aeration system was also optimized, replacing the original perforated pipe aeration with fine‑bubble diffusers.

Retrofit Results

● Treatment capacity increased from 15,000 m³/day to 22,000 m³/day, a 47% increase.

● COD removal efficiency improved from 82% to 94%.

● Ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency increased from 65% to 96%.

● No additional land was required, saving approximately USD 3.5 million in expansion costs.

● Energy consumption reduced by about 22% (the MBBR system requires no sludge return and has higher aeration efficiency) .

Client Testimonial

“Choosing the MBBR technology upgrade was the best decision we made. The plant never stopped operating during the retrofit, and it perfectly solved our capacity bottleneck.” — Ir. Ahmad Faizal, Project Engineering Manager