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provide the necessary
background material
needed for the design
of biological treatment
processes. Biological treatment usually
refers to the use of bacteria in
engineered reactor systems for affecting
the removal or change of certain
constituents, such as organic compounds,
trace elements and nutrients.
To transform or remove nutrients, such as
nitrogen and phosphorus
And in some cases, to remove specific trace
organic constituents and compounds.
For industrial water, the objective is to remove
or reduce the concentration of organic and
inorganic compounds. While for agricultural
irrigation return wastewater, the objective is
to remove nutrients, especially nitrogen and
phosphorus that are capable of stimulating
the growth of aquatic plants.
Role of Microorganisms in Wastewater
Treatment
Microorganisms are used to:
Oxidize (i.e. convert) the
dissolved and particulate
carbonaceous organic matter into simple
end products and additional biomass.
Remove nitrogen and phosphorus in
wastewater treatment processes.
For domestic wastewater the objectives
are:
To transform dissolved and particulate
biodegradable constituents into acceptable
end products
To capture and incorporate suspended and
nonsettleable colloidal solids into a biological
floc or biofilm
The principal processes used for the
biological treatment of wastewater can be
classified with respect to their metabolic
function:
Aerobic processes
Anaerobic processes
Anoxic processes
Facultative processes
Combined processes
Microbial metabolism is the means
by which a microbe obtains the energy
and nutrients it needs to live and
reproduce. Microbes use many different
types of metabolic strategies and species
can often be differentiated from each
other based on metabolic characteristics.
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Chemotrophs - organisms that obtain

A. Carbon Sources
Heterotrophs – organisms that use
organic carbon for the formation of new
biomass
Autotrophs – organisms that derive cell
carbon from carbon dioxide.
B. Energy Sources
a. Phototrophs – organisms that are
able to use light as an energy source.
energy from chemical reactions.
a. Chemoautotrpohs – obtain energy
from oxidation of reduced inorganic
compounds, such as ammonia,
nitrite, ferrous ireon and sulfide.
b. Chemoheterotrophs – usually derive
energy from the oxidation of organic
compounds.

C. Nutrient and Growth Factor precursors or constituents of organic cell

Requirements material, which cannot be synthesized
from other carbon sources.
Nutrients, rather than carbon or
energy sources, may at times be the
limiting material for microbial cell Amino Acids
synthesis and growth. The principal Nitrogen Bases
inorganic nutrients needed by Vitamins
microorganisms are N, S, P, K, Ca, Fe, Na
and Cl. Minor nutrients of importance
include Zn, Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Cu and Ni.

– organisms
are said to have this type of metabolism
generate energy by enzyme-mediated
Aerobic stabilization
electron transport from an electron
ponds are large, shallow
donor to an electron acceptor.
earthen basins that are
used for the treatment of
– the type
wastewater by natural
of metabolism that does involve the
processes involving the
participation of an external electron
use of both algae and
acceptor. This is a less efficient energy-
bacteria.
yielding process than respiration.

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These are ponds in which

stabilization of wastes is brought about
by a combination of aerobic, anaerobic,
and facultative bacteria.
Process Description:
There are three zones exist in a
facultative pond:
Aerobic zone
Anaerobic zone
Facultative zone

The anaerobic ponds are used for

Tertiary-maturation low-rate
stabilization ponds are designed to
provide for secondary effluent polishing
and seasonal nitrification.
the treatment of high-strength organic
wastewater that also contains a high
concentration of solids. Typically, an
anaerobic pond is a deep earthen pond
with appropriate inlet and outlet piping.

 This involves treating the liquid part of the wastewater

biologically. It is carried out after primary treatment
(which removes some of the solid material).
 The purpose of this process is to remove the organic
matter and the nitrogen from the wastewater.
 A group of microorganisms called bacteria are
Suspended Growth ‘employed’ to do the job.

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Secondary Treatment
Two Types (based on growth condition)  Suspended growth:
 Biomass well-mixed, in
suspension
1. Suspended Growth  Diverse microbiology
 High energy aeration
Organisms are suspended in the treatment systems
fluid. This fluid is commonly called the  Process control follows from
modeling
“mixed liquor”. Example: Activated  Shocked more easily
 Biomass recycled
sludge.  High solids production, easy
to settle
 High efficiency
 DO 2 to 3 mg/L
2. Attached growth or Fixed Film  Reliable N & P removal
 Fixed film:
 Biomass layered, attached
 More diverse (snails!), stratified
microbiology
 Frequently relies on draft for
aeration
 Process control is empirically based
on organic and hydraulic loading
 Resilient to shock loads
 Biomass not typically recycled
 Low solids production, hard to
settle (low floc formers)
 Lower efficiency
 Higher DO required
 unreliable N & P removal

Organisms attached to some inert media

like rocks or plastic. Example: Trickling
filter.

 The mostly widely used biological process for the Effluent

Raw wastewater
treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters. or effluent from Aerobic reactor
 Strictly aerobicexcept anoxic variation for primary treatment
denitrification. CO2 , H2O
Secondary
 Parts: i) aeration tank, ii) a settling tank, iii) solids New biomass NO3, SO4 , PO4
recycle, and iv) a sludge wasting line settler
 activated sludge: microbial aggregates (flocs) in the
aeration tank. Activated sludge + Wastewater + O2
→Flocs stay in suspension with mixing by aeration.
Wastage sludge
 Recycle of the activated sludge is crucial to
maintaining a high concentration of cells. Recycle sludge

 Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria are main

“activated”organisms.
→Microbial community is highly diverse and competative. The process involves the production of an activated mass
 Floc formation is really key –individual bacteria do not of microorganisms capable of aerobic stabilization of
settle fast enough to be captured in the settling tank. Cells organic material in wastewater.
not in flocs are washed out.
 The suspended flocs particles are called “activated”.

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Activated sludge Microbiology

 Activated sludge floc

 Bacteria: major component
 Fungi: low pH, toxicity, N
deficient waste
 Protozoa: gazing on bacteria
 Rotifers: multicellular
organism (help to floc
Bulk mixed formation)
Sludge particle liquor with free  Organic/ inorganic particle
floating
microorganisms

 Wastewater is aerated in a tank

 Bacteria are encouraged to grow by providing
 Oxygen
 Food (BOD)
 Nutrients
 Correct temperature
 Time

 As bacteria consume BOD, they grow and multiply

 Treated wastewater flows into secondary clarifier
 Bacterial cells settle, removed from clarifier as sludge
 Part of sludge is recycled back to activated sludge tank, to
maintain bacteria population • Assumptions:
• Effluent bacteria concentration is 0
 Remainder of sludge is wasted
• Concentration of substrate or BOD in sludge is 0
• Sludge waste flowrate (Qw) is much smaller than Q

 Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS)
– Indication of microbial population
– Usually between 2000 and 5000 mg/L
– Maintained by adjusting WAS
– Mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) approx.
= 0.7-0.8 × MLSS
 Food to Microorganism ratio
– Also termed sludge loading rate (SLR)
– F traditionally on BOD basis but now often on COD basis
– M biomass fraction under aeration only (MLSS or MLVSS)
– F:M typically maintained between 0.1 – 0.4 kgBOD / kgVSS．d
Microorganisms (e.g., bacteria) are responsible for
decomposing organic waste. When organic matter such
as dead plants, leaves, grass clippings, manure, sewage,
or even food waste is present in a water supply, the
bacteria will begin the process of breaking down this
waste. When this happens, much of the available
dissolved oxygen (DO) is consumed by aerobic bacteria,
robbing other aquatic organisms of the oxygen they need
to live. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a measure
of the oxygen used by microorganisms to decompose this
waste. If there is a large quantity of organic waste in the
water supply, there will also be a lot of bacteria present
working to decompose this waste. In this case, the
demand for oxygen will be high (due to all the bacteria)
so the BOD level will be high. As the waste is consumed
or dispersed through the water, BOD levels will begin to
decline.

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Determine the 5-day BOD for a 15 ml sample that is diluted

with dilution water to a total volume of 300 ml when the initial
DO concentration is 8 mg/l and after 5 days, has been reduced
to 2 mg/l.

P is volume fraction of D0 = 8
D0 – D5 1 liter used in test D5 = 2
BOD5 (mg/l) = __________
P = 15 ml/300ml = 0.05
P D is dissolved oxygen
8-2
concentration at Time=0 BOD (mg/l) = _______ = 120
and Time = 5 days 0.05

What can this process do?

1. Remove Nutrient
2. Remove dissolved organic solids
Attached Growth 3. Remove suspended organic solids
4. Remove suspended solids

Oxygen (the natural or forced draft)

 Trickling filter (TF)

Wastewater  Rotating biological contactor (RBC)
Organic/
nutrient
Biomass : viscous, jelly-like substance containing bacteria

filter media

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 TF consists of:

rotating distributor arms  A rotating arm that sprays

wastewater over a filter
medium.
 Filter medium: rocks, plastic,
or other material.
Packing
media  The water is collected at the
bottom of the filter for further
treatment.

Underdrain

Wastewater

 Crushed rock
 Durable & insoluble
 Locally available
 But, reduce the void spaces for passage of air
 Less surface area per volume for biological growth
 Plastic media
 Random packing media
 Modular packing media

Schematic diagrams of modular and random packed media used in

fixed-film treatment systems (Source: Bordacs and Young, 1998)