Xylem expands industrial wastewater solutions in UK&I

Widening availability of Xylem’s MBBR and DAF systems in the UK & Ireland supports industries dealing with increasingly complex wastewater treatment needs, writes Rocio Sanchez Ruiz, water solutions & services expansion specialist, Xylem UK.

Xylem is introducing a locally based fleet of established US-developed treatment systems, bringing the technology closer to industrial customers in the UK and Ireland.

The arrival of a UK&I fleet of moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology, follows the establishment of local availability of dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems in 2025.

For customers, this enables faster provision and improved access to treatment solutions, whether purchased or rented, for complex industrial effluent challenges.

Both technologies have been adapted to meet UK and European standards, helping industrial organisations address complex treatment challenges and stricter regulatory requirements. The growing UK market for these solutions – long established in the US – reflects the increasingly demanding wastewater treatment landscape.

Process industries – including food and beverage, such as dairies and breweries, and pulp and paper, tanneries and pharmaceuticals – use significant volumes of water throughout production.

This generates complex wastewater streams that must be treated and disposed of in line with strict regulations, with trade effluent charges based on discharge volume and pollutant concentration.

Common challenges

While production processes and the quality of their wastewater streams vary across industries, they all face common treatment challenges. Effluent typically contains high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS) and fat, oils and greases (FOG), requiring compact clarification and effective biological treatment to meet compliance standards.

Many facilities face space constraints due to wastewater treatment plant upgrades, as the existing systems struggle to meet rising production demands. Many other facilities face limited in-house wastewater expertise and site managers are under pressure to reduce operational and trade effluent costs, minimise environmental impact and avoid regulatory fines for non-compliance.

For on-the-ground operations teams, maintaining uninterrupted processes and avoiding bottlenecks is a priority – alongside the need for reliable, easy-to-operate equipment with minimal maintenance requirements.

Proven technology

DAF is a highly efficient solution to remove emulsified or fats, oils and grease, along with suspended solids. By introducing fine air bubbles into the wastewater, a mass of sludge is pushed to float in the surface of the tank so that it can be skimmed off. The DAF process can ensure stable separation where the biomass has low settleability.

MBBR is a biological treatment technology that uses microbial biofilm formed on polyethylene media carriers to remove organic contaminants dissolved in water.

DAF and MBBR systems are selected for use on industrial facilities for a range of reasons including:

• Small footprint – DAF requires less than 25% of gravity clarifier space
• Wide-ranging treatment capability
• Automated package systems easily integrated into existing facilities
• No need for civils work
• Scaled to meet specific needs and adjusted to manage variations in flow.
• Effectiveness, when combined, for treating highly loaded industrial wastewater.
• No clogging and increased uptime.

In addition, the systems can support a range of industrial processes, including:

• Thickening of biosolids.
• Product recovery from wastewater.
• Treatment of industrial wastewater to meet site discharge limits.
• Polishing of biological treatment effluent (algae and phosphorous removal).
• Pretreatment to reduce loading on downstream biological treatment systems.
• Clarification of bio-solids, downstream of aerobic and anaerobic treatment.

Rapid rental deployment

The arrival of UK-based fleets means equipment can now be delivered and deployed promptly for companies requiring rental solutions, such as for temporary construction sites or unplanned operational faults.

Rapid setup is a key advantage of renting DAF and MBBR systems, whether for short-term use or longer-term hire. Xylem’s systems can also be used as pilot units to inform the design of permanent installations. 

In many cases, companies that rent equipment temporarily go on to purchase it for permanent use, rather than repair or replace existing systems. This was the case at a bourbon distillery in the southern US. Initially, the distillery rented MBBR and DAF systems to treat organics in the wastewater and remove solids. About six months later the distillery decided to purchase the rental MBBR and add a second MBBR system. 

Full lifecycle support

For many industrial companies, partners that provide end-to-end turnkey solutions – such as Xylem – play a critical support role in areas where in-house expertise may be limited, from system design, installation and commissioning through to operation and decommissioning 

By combining well-established DAF and MBBR technologies – now with local fleets – and full lifecycle support, Xylem enables industrial customers to manage wastewater more efficiently while maintaining operational continuity and compliance. 

For further information, visit Xylem UK