Australia's Largest Inland Wastewater Plant Adopts DuPont MBR System

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, DuPont announced that its MemCor Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) system has been selected for the expansion project of the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre in Canberra, Australia. The facility, owned and operated by Icon Water, the Australian Capital Territory's water utility, is the largest inland wastewater treatment facility in Australia and handles the majority of domestic sewage treatment for the Canberra region.

The expansion will include a new secondary wastewater treatment system centered on membrane treatment technology, with the DuPont MemCor MBR system designed to treat approximately 97 million liters per day. The system combines biological treatment with submerged membrane filtration, removing organic pollutants and nitrogen from wastewater before further retaining suspended solids and microorganisms, enabling the effluent to meet the water quality requirements for discharge into the Molonglo River. DuPont will manufacture and supply the relevant systems locally in Australia; the specific contract value and number of membrane modules have not been disclosed.

The Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre has been in operation since the late 1970s and currently treats approximately 80 to 100 million liters of sewage per day, serving a population of around 570,000. With Canberra's population growth and some existing facilities approaching their treatment capacity limits, Icon Water is implementing expansion and equipment upgrades, planning to increase the plant's total treatment capacity to approximately 140 million liters per day.

The project is being designed and constructed by a consortium comprising Seymour Whyte and VINCI Construction Grands Projets, with Beca HunterH2O providing engineering design support. Icon Water awarded the consortium a design-build contract valued at AUD 385 million in December 2024, covering the construction of the new MBR treatment facility and associated infrastructure. This contract amount corresponds to the overall plant upgrade works and is not the standalone supply value for the DuPont membrane system.

The project entered the implementation phase in 2025 and is the first project under Icon Water's ten-year major project delivery plan, expected to provide approximately 250 jobs at peak. As of June 2026, excavation work for the new bioreactor foundations has progressed, with three major concrete pours scheduled between September and November. In addition to the DuPont MBR system, the project has also procured secondary screening and high-efficiency aeration equipment to protect the downstream submerged membrane modules and improve oxygen supply efficiency in the biological treatment stage.