| Specifications | MBBR | SBR | MBR |
| Full Form | Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor | Sequential Batch Reactor | Membrane Bioreactor |
| Definition | It is suspended growth biological treatment process. This process uses biofilm attached to thousands of small plastic media to decompose waste present in influent in an aeration tank. | It is a fill-and-draw type activated sludge system. It has 4 operational stages in a single reactor i.e. fill, aeration, settling and decantation. | It is a combination of membrane process and suspended growth biological treatment process. Biomass is developed in aeration basin by providing air and nutrients. |
| Applied Technology | Uses suspended growth biological technique | Uses phase separation with gravity settling method. (Conventional ASP method) | Uses membrane technology. |
| Power Consumption | Low Power Consumption. | Low power consumption. | Comparatively more power consumption. |
| Retention Time | It requires very low HRT for BOD & Nitrogen removal. | Low HRT required as compared to conventional ASP. | It requires least SRT (Sludge Retention Time). |
| Space Requirement | System requires small amount of space, since only one tank is needed and also surface area is maximized through carriers. | Comparatively requires more area but when compared to conventional treatment system requires less space. Better space management | Requires less area due to use of membranes. |
| Cost Parameter | High operational cost. | Expensive method as compared to conventional method. | High capital and operational cost. |
| Adaptability to Fluctuations | Effectively resists shock loading and can respond to variations in influent. | This system adapts to different volumes of influent. | Adaptation to fluctuations & shock loading is difficult for this system. |
| Maintenance | Needs low maintenance as backwashing not needed but media replacement & checking is cumbersome task. | Needs more maintenance | Needs more maintenance. |
| Shortcomings | The system can attract insects with specific system models not designed to keep them out. | Prone to problems like clogging of aeration devices. | Membrane clogging is an issue. Requires frequent backwashing. |
| Monitoring Status | Requires continuous monitoring of media. | Better operation control as operates in batch mode. Requires automation. | Requires sophisticated controlling system |
| Level of Treatment | Good removal of pollution load. | Similar treatment levels as compared to conventional ASP. | High level of treatment achieved. |
| Benefits | Increased surface area due to application of plastic media is an added advantage in this case. | Contains anoxic zone which provides control over denitrification. | Does not require tertiary/ disinfectant treatment in most cases. |
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