About The Project

Bilge water is the main pollutant of shipboard wastewater, while discharge of oil residue to marine environments is prohibited according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations (MARPOL 73/78) and the European directive 2000/59/EC. Bilge waters can be briefly defined as saline and greasy wastewater with a high COD (> 3-15 g COD L-1) that includes lubricating oil, cleaning diesel oil, oily sludge, spills from the engine room, water leaks from internal pipes, and seawater filtrations. 

MicrobEatBilge project will develop an innovative low-cost technology consisting of hybrid bioreactors, Submerged Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (SAnMBR) and aerobic Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) for the treatment of real bilge water.

​