The process enhancement and low-cost retrofit capabilities of MBBR and AOP technologies enables our customers to either improve conventional processes or improve the performance of Headworks BIO treatment systems to meet more demanding influent characteristics, or more stringent regulatory discharge requirements at reduced costs. Dramatic treatment performance improvements, economic alternatives to conventional upgrade options, and ongoing support form the basis of each of the performance enhancement and upgrade packages Headworks BIO offers new and existing customers.

MBBR Upgrades

Conventional biological wastewater systems can greatly benefit from measurable enhancements to the treatment process through an MBBR biofilm carrier upgrade. By retrofitting a conventional system with sufficient aeration, retention screens, and MBBR biofilm carriers, wastewater treatment performance can be doubled in capacity. This is accomplished easily with minimal plant downtime and no construction. In space-constrained sites, a considerable benefit is the increased performance without additional land use.

MBBR Performance Enhancements

MBBR processes designed for today's wastewater flows can be easily expanded to meet tomorrow's increased flow or concentration levels. This is accomplished by simply adding more biofilm carriers to the process - supplementing the existing process with increased active surface area, yielding increased biodegradation capacity in the existing system with minimal process adjustments.

AOP Performance Enhancements

AOP systems are designed for modular expansion to equip existing systems with additional ultra-violet reactors. UV Reactors are added via the AOP system's unique, stackable reactor design; this design allows single to multi-stage UV array configuration within an existing advanced oxidation system. Expansion of the AOP process is accomplished with minimal process downtime and no additional facility space.

MBBR and AOP process enhancements can be applied to field units to achieve increased performance, longer useful life and higher reliability. Many performance enhancements have been specifically developed for application to existing MBBR and AOP operating units. These advanced technology upgrade packages provide significant savings to our customers due to reduced maintenance, increased efficiency and improved effluent quality.

Expand or upgrade your plant to supersize your capacity within a small footprint!

Activated Sludge Extended Air process is designed for 12 to 24 hours hydraulic retention time (HRT). The MBBR needs only 2 to 3 hours HRT to achieve the same level of nitrification due to higher concentration of mature bio mass. Shorter HRT significantly reduces tank volume for processing.

Typical biomass levels in activated sludge plants are between 2500 mg/l to 3500 mg/l of suspended solids. Typical equivalent biomass in an MBBR is more than 6000 mg/l of attached growth. Increased mass allows for the use of a smaller reactor.


With the HIT System retrofit above, two retrofited clarifier reactors (A) can treat as much as five reactors of a traditional AS system (B). This treatment includes the addition of denitrification.