SBR technology in Germany--an overview

The SBR technology is applied in about 1.3% of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Germany. This caused the German Association for the Water Environment (ATV) to prepare the guideline ATV-M 210 to represent the state of the art for this type of WWTPs in Germany. The basic design parameters were derived from the standard ATV-A 131 for activated sludge plants to prepare a basis for the comparison of alternatives. In Bavaria numerous small WWTPs utilize SBR technology. Operational experiences show that these plants require specifically trained personnel. The plants produce effluents comparable to those of continuous flow plants in every respect. Hence the choice of system can be based on economic criteria.