Biological Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater
It is any water that has been affected by human use. Wastewater is used water
from any combination of domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities,
surface runoff or stormwater, and any sewer inflow or sewer infiltration. Therefore,
wastewater is a byproduct of domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural
activities. Wastewater can contain physical, chemical and biological pollutants.

Types of Wastewater:
● Domestic wastewater from households
● Municipal wastewater from communities(also called sewage)
● Industrial wastewater from industrial activities

Types of Pollutants in Wastewater

Chemical or physical pollutants:

● Heavy metals, including mercury, lead, and chromium
● Organic particles such as feces, hairs, food, vomit, paper fibers, plant
material, humus, etc.;
● Soluble organic material such as urea, fruit sugars, soluble proteins, drugs,
pharmaceuticals, etc.;
● Inorganic particles such as sand, grit, metal particles, ceramics, etc.;
● Soluble inorganic material such as ammonia, road-salt, sea-salt, cyanide,
hydrogen sulfide, thiocyanates, thiosulfates, etc.;
● Macro-solids such as sanitary napkins, nappies/diapers, condoms, needles,
children's toys, dead animals or plants, etc.;
● Gases such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane, etc.;
● Emulsions such as paints, adhesives, mayonnaise, hair colorants, emulsified
oils, etc.;
● Toxins such as pesticides, poisons, herbicides, etc.
● Pharmaceuticals and hormones and other hazardous substances
● Thermal pollution from power stations and industrial manufacturers

Biological Pollutants:
● Bacteria (for example Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Vibrio
cholerae),
● Viruses (for example hepatitis A, rotavirus, enteroviruses),
● Protozoa (for example Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia,
Cryptosporidium parvum) and
● Parasites such as helminths and their eggs (e.g. Ascaris (roundworm),
Ancylostoma (hookworm), Trichuris (whipworm));

Laws on Wastewater
In the Philippines, Republic Act 9275, otherwise known as the Philippine Clean
Water Act of 2004, is the governing law on wastewater management. It states that it is
the country's policy to protect, preserve and revive the quality of its fresh, brackish
and marine waters, for which wastewater management plays a particular role.
Biological Treatment
● Biological treatment is designed to substantially degrade the biological
content of the sewage which are derived from human waste, food waste,
soaps, and detergent.
● It is often called as Secondary Treatment process which is used to remove
any contaminants that left over after primary treatment.
● This treatment rely on bacteria, nematodes, algae, fungi, protozoa, rotifers to
break down unstable organic waste.
● Sewage microorganisms are cultivated and added to the wastewater. The
microorganisms use organic matter from sewage as their food supply. This
process leads to decomposition or biodegradation of organic wastes.

Principle of Biological Treatment

The microorganisms (principally bacteria) are used to convert the colloidal
and dissolved carbonaceous organic matter into various gases and into cell tissue. Cell
tissue having high specific gravity than water can be removed in settling tank. Hence,
complete treatment of the wastewater will not be achieved unless the cell tissues are
removed.

Types of Biological Treatment

● Aerobic Treatment
It takes place on the presence of air(oxygen) and utilize those
microorganisms called aerobes. It is the rapid and the most efficient
biological waste treatment which remove up to 98% of organic contaminants.
This process causes effective breakdown of organic pollutants and yields a
cleaner water effluent than anaerobic treatment.
● Anaerobic Treatment
The anaerobic treatment processes, on other hand take place in the
absence of air(oxygen) by those microorganisms called anaerobes. This
treatment process is effectively utilized to treat high strength waste water and
it employs organisms that function in the absence of oxygen and it will
typically treat high-strength waste water to a level that will permit discharge
to a municipal sewer system.

Types of Aerobic Treatment Process

Activated Sludge Process

An activated sludge process refers to a multi-chamber reactor unit that makes use
of highly concentrated microorganisms to degrade organics and remove nutrients
from wastewater to produce a high-quality effluent. To maintain aerobic conditions
and to keep the activated sludge suspended, a continuous and well-timed supply of
oxygen is required.
The microorganisms oxidize the organic carbon in the wastewater to produce new
cells, carbon dioxide and water.
 Advantages:
● Resistant to organic and hydraulic shock loads
● Can be operated at a range of organic and hydraulic loading rates
● High reduction of BOD and pathogens (up to 99%) at after secondary
treatment
● High nutrient removal possible
● Can be modified to meet specific discharge limits

Disadvantages:
● High energy consumption, a constant source of electricity is required - High
capital and operating costs
● High capital and operating costs
● Requires operation and maintenance by skilled personnel
● Prone to complicated chemical and microbiological problems
● Not all parts and materials may be locally available
● Sludge and possibly effluent require further treatment and/or appropriate
discharge

Trickling Filters
A trickling filter, is a fixed-bed, biological reactor that operates under (mostly)
aerobic conditions. Pre-settled wastewater is continuously ‘trickled’ or sprayed over
the filter. As the water migrates through the pores of the filter, organics are
aerobically degraded by the biofilm covering the filter material.

Advantages:
● Can be operated at a range of organic and hydraulic loading rates
● Efficient nitrification (ammonium oxidation)
● Small land area required compared to constructed wetlands

Disadvantages:
● High capital costs
● Requires expert design and construction, particularly, the dosing system
● Requires operation and maintenance by skilled personnel
● Requires a constant source of electricity and constant wastewater flow
● Flies and odours are often problematic
● Risk of clogging, depending on pre- and primary treatment
● Not all parts and materials may be locally available

Aerated Pond
An aerated pond is a large, mixed aerobic reactor. Mechanical aerators provide
oxygen and keep the aerobic organisms suspended and mixed with water to achieve a
high rate of organic degradation.
Increased mixing and aeration from the mechanical units means that the ponds
can be deeper and tolerate much higher organic loads than a maturation pond. The
increased aeration allows for increased degradation and increased pathogen removal.
As well, because oxygen is introduced by the mechanical units and not by light-driven
photosynthesis, the ponds can function in more northern climates.
 Advantages:
● Resistant to organic and hydraulic shock loads
● High reduction of BOD and pathogens
● No real problems with insects or odours if designed and maintained correctly

Disadvantages:
● Requires a large land area
● High energy consumption, a constant source of electricity is required
● High capital and operating costs depending on the price of land and of
electricity
● Requires operation and maintenance by skilled personnel
● Not all parts and materials may be locally available
● Requires expert design and construction supervision
● Sludge and possibly effluent require further treatment and/or appropriate
discharge

Rotating Biological Contactors

Rotating biological contactors (RBC), also called rotating biological filters, are
fixed-bed reactors consisting of stacks of rotating disks mounted on a horizontal shaft.
They are partially submerged and rotated as wastewater flows through. They are used
in conventional wastewater treatment plants as secondary treatment after primary
sedimentation of domestic grey- or blackwater, or any other biodegradable effluent.
The microbial community is alternately exposed to the atmosphere and the
wastewater, allowing both aeration and assimilation of dissolved organic pollutants
and nutrients for their degradation.

Advantages:
● High contact time and high effluent quality (both BOD and nutrients)
● High process stability, resistant to shock hydraulic or organic loading
● Short contact periods are required because of the large active surface
● Low space requirement
● Well drainable excess sludge collected in clarifier
● Process is relatively silent compared to dosing pumps for aeration
● No risk of channelling
● Low sludge production

Disadvantages:
● Continuous electricity supply required (but uses less energy than trickling
filters or activated sludge processes for comparable degradation rates)
● Contact media not available at local market
● High investment as well as operation and maintenance costs
● Must be protected against sunlight, wind and rain (especially against freezing
in cold climates)
● Odour problems may occur
● Requires permanent skilled technical labour for operation and maintenance

Types of Anaerobic Treatment Process

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) is a single tank process.
Wastewater enters the reactor from the bottom, and flows upward. A suspended
sludge blanket filters and treats the wastewater as the wastewater flows through it.

Advantages:
● High reduction of BOD
● Can withstand high organic and hydraulic loading rates
● Low sludge production (and, thus, infrequent desludging required)
● Biogas can be used for energy (but usually first requires scrubbing)
● No aeration system required (thus little energy consumption)
● Effluent is rich in nutrients and can be used for agricultural irrigation
● Low land demand, can be constructed underground and with locally available
material
● Reduction of CH4 and CO2 emissions

Disadvantages:
● Treatment may be unstable with variable hydraulic and organic loads
● Requires operation and maintenance by skilled personnel; difficult to
maintain proper hydraulic conditions (upflow and settling rates must be
balanced)
● Long start-up time to work at full capacity
● A constant source of electricity is required
● Not all parts and materials may be locally available
● Requires expert design and construction
● Effluent and sludge require further treatment and/or appropriate discharge
● Not adapted for cold regions

Anaerobic Filter
An anaerobic filter is a fixed-bed biological reactor with one or more filtration
chambers in series. As wastewater flows through the filter, particles are trapped and
organic matter is degraded by the active biomass that is attached to the surface of the
filter material.
With this technology, suspended solids and BOD removal can be as high as 90%,
but is typically between 50% and 80%. Nitrogen removal is limited and normally does
not exceed 15% in terms of total nitrogen (TN).

Advantages:
● No electrical energy is required
● Low operating costs
● Long service life
● High reduction of BOD and solids
● Low sludge production; the sludge is stabilized
● Moderate area requirement (can be built underground)

Disadvantages:
● Requires expert design and construction
● Low reduction of pathogens and nutrients
 ● Effluent and sludge require further treatment and/or appropriate discharge
● Risk of clogging, depending on pre- and primary treatment
● Removing and cleaning the clogged filter media is cumbersome

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

An anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) is an improved Septic Tank with a series of
baffles under which the wastewater is forced to flow. The increased contact time with
the active biomass (sludge) results in improved treatment.
The upflow chambers provide enhanced removal and digestion of organic matter.
BOD may be reduced by up to 90%, which is far superior to its removal in a
conventional Septic Tank.

Advantages:
● Resistant to organic and hydraulic shock loads
● No electrical energy is required
● Low operating costs
● Long service life
● High reduction of BOD
● Low sludge production; the sludge is stabilized
● Moderate area requirement (can be built underground)

Disadvantages:
● Requires expert design and construction
● Low reduction of pathogens and nutrients
● Effluent and sludge require further treatment and/or appropriate discharge