Fluence MABR (Aspiral & SUBRE) Wastewater Treatment

Fluence Corporation is an ASX-listed water and wastewater treatment company with its corporate address in Plymouth, Minnesota. It supplies municipal, industrial and decentralised customers with packaged and engineered plants, covering wastewater treatment, desalination, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, anaerobic digestion and digital monitoring.

Its membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) uses passive, low-pressure aeration: oxygen diffuses through spiral membranes to a nitrifying biofilm while denitrification takes place in the surrounding liquid, removing nitrogen in a single stage. Aspiral Smart Packaged plants are containerised units starting at 20 m3/day that can be linked in tandem and remotely monitored, while SUBRE modules are submerged into existing activated sludge basins of 2,000 to 100,000 m3/day to add capacity without new construction. Customers include small towns, resorts, residential communities, utilities and industrial sites; the company also supplies seawater desalination plants in Vietnam.

• Passive low-pressure aeration: oxygen diffuses through membranes to the biofilm, avoiding high-pressure blowers.
• Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification: nitrogen removed in one stage, with up to 80% phosphorus removal in the biological stage.
• Aspiral Smart Packaged: containerised plants from 20 m3/day that can be combined in tandem.
• SUBRE retrofit: MABR modules submerged in existing basins of 1.5 to 6 m depth to upgrade capacity and nutrient removal.
• Remote monitoring and control: digital monitoring and smart operations for decentralised sites.
• Wider portfolio: NIROBOX containerised RO and desalination, ultrafiltration and anaerobic digestion.

Resorts, island developments and new urban areas in Vietnam can install Aspiral containers as decentralised sewage plants. Provincial water and drainage companies can retrofit overloaded activated sludge plants with SUBRE to meet nitrogen limits. Coastal developers can combine NIROBOX desalination with MABR for an integrated water and wastewater supply.

Small and medium MABR systems save up to 90% of aeration energy compared with conventional plants, according to the product page. SUBRE retrofits can cut overall plant energy use by up to 30%, reduce carbon addition by up to 30% and expand capacity with zero additional footprint. Containerised Aspiral units are delivered ready to install and can be monitored remotely, which suits sites without skilled operators.

Southeast Asia still treats only a small share of urban wastewater, and Vietnam is expanding sewage collection while tourism islands such as Phu Quoc face fresh water shortages. Decentralised, energy-efficient packaged plants and retrofits that add capacity without new land are in demand as discharge standards tighten and electricity costs rise.

Fluence Corporation Limited is listed on the ASX (FLC) with its corporate address in Plymouth, Minnesota, USA. In July 2026 it won two seawater desalination contracts on Phu Quoc Island with a Vietnamese infrastructure investor and partner SWater Kankyo, its fourth and fifth contracts with Swater in just over a year. It names Southeast Asia and North America as focus markets.