ROLE OF MICROORGANISMS IN

WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Membrane bioreactor

A membrane bioreactor is a combination of the biological degradation process of an

activated sludge with a direct solid-liquid separation by membrane filtration through the use of
micro or ultra filtration membrane technology. The system allows for the complete physical
retention of bacterial flocs and all suspended solids within the bioreactor. The advantages of a
membrane bioreactor over other treatment systems are its high effluent quality, good
disinfection capability, higher volumetric loading and less sludge production. A membrane
bioreactor (MBRs) is a biological wastewater treatment process that uses membrane to replace
the gravitational settling of the conventional activated sludge process for the solid liquid
separation of sludge suspension. Membrane bioreactors are used to treat biologically active
wastewater feeds from municipal or industrial sources Two MBR configurations could exist,
internal/submerged and external/side stream. In the submerged, the membranes are immersed
in and integral to the biological reactor while in the external/sidestream, the membranes are a
separate unit process that requires intermediate pumping steps. The membranes in membrane
bioreactor system are made up of polymers or inorganic substances. They are made of several
small pores, which can only be seen with the help of a microscope. Because of their small pore
size, only very tiny particles and water is allowed to pass through the membrane. Although
several configurations of membrane are known, the common ones that are applied in
membrane bioreactor are the hollow fiber, flat sheet and tubular membranes. The hollow fiber
and flat sheet membranes are usually dipped in water while the tubular membrane is usually
placed outside the bioreactor. The two major problems in hollow fibers are sludging and
braiding. Both braiding and sludging can affect the membrane surface area so mechanical
cleaning should also be carried out. Braiding is caused by the presence of hairs and cellulose
fibers that ring around the membrane surface. Braiding can be avoided through careful
screening of influents or recirculated liquid. On the other hand, sludging is caused by the
accumulation of thick soft wet mud of industrial wastes. This is avoided by ensuring a
sufficient flow of water in the medium. In the membrane bioreactor, the rate of passing of
water through the membrane is called membrane flux. In some operations, the membrane flux
likely to decrease leading, which may lead to membrane fouling, which is a great problem that
increases operation cost and may require membrane cleaning. Membrane fouling may be
caused by the accumulation of particles on the membrane surface, which leads to resistance in
the membrane filtration. To control membrane fouling control, aerators are installed beneath
the membrane. In a membrane filtration, periodic relaxation, and back flushing for the removal
of the foul layer from the membrane surface are some of the operations that are carried out.
The MBR process competes with other biological wastewater treatment systems, such as the
conventional activated sludge. Although conventional biological processes perform well in
meeting normal discharge standards and are cost effective, they can struggle to meet treatment
standards for discharge into sensitive environments. Also, conventional processes are indicated
not to be cost effective for wastewater reuse, unless ultrafiltration or microfiltration
membranes are used as a post treatment.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The environment of the sewage treatment plant has to be controlled precisely because
bacteria are sensitive to the oxygen level, pH level, temperature, and level of nutrient. In order
for efficient degradation of biological matter to occur, these factors are controlled manually.
Sewage composition
Sewage is composed of organic matter such as carbohydrates, fats, oil, grease and proteins
mainly from domestic waste. It also contains dissolved inorganic matter such as nitrogen
species and phosphorous species mainly from agricultural use. It is essential to remove the
nutrients before they are released to the environment because it interferes natural habitats by
altering the chemical composition such as pH or oxygen level both directly and indirectly.
Oxygen level
Oxygen level is an important factor to secondary and tertiary treatment processes. Secondary
treatment, oxygen is required as a terminal electron acceptor in organic matter degradation.
For example, nitrification by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter species requires dissolved oxygen
to occur. Oxygen in secondary treatment is provided manually by pumping oxygen into the
sewage continuously which occurs in an aeration tank. In tertiary treatment, the removal of
excess organic matter is enhanced by settling the sewage in a lagoon. This process is also
aerobic, but it depends on the diffusion of oxygen because most organic matter has been
degraded by secondary treatment.
pH
Acidity plays a crucial role in the breakdown of organic matter because pH affects the
solubility of compounds which indirectly affect the accessibility by bacteria. Also, bacteria
responsible for organic matter degradation are sensitive to the pH of the environment.
Extremely high or low pH levels are able to kill bacteria, deposition of organic matter occurs
due to lack of degradation. Hence, the pH of sewage treatment is controlled to be around 7. A
nitrifier in secondary treatment, Nitrosomnas requires a pH between 6~9 in order to be viable.
Temperature
The effect of temperature is influential for secondary treatment, but it is not important in
primary treatment. Bacterial growth is sensitive to temperature because high temperature can
increase the fluidity of the phospholipid bilayer which leads to cell lysis. However, bacteria are
known to have higher enzymatic activity at higher temperature because of increased thermal
energy. For example, when thermophilic sludge treatment is compared to mesophilic
treatment, the sludge biodegradability is higher with thermophilic degradation .Hence the
temperature has to be controlled precisely to maximize the efficiency of degradation but also
allow the cell to remain viable.
Nutrients availability
There are a lot of nutrients available in the sewage because of human waste and agricultural
runoff . Bacteria can harvest the electron from organic matter and transfer it to a terminal
electron acceptor which results in the break down of organic matter and energy conservation.

Role of Bacteria in wastewater treatment

Bacteria are single celled microorganisms that come in three basic shapes:

1) Bacillus: which is rod-shaped, square or rectangular.

2) Coccus: which is round or oval shaped.

3) Spirillum: which is spiral or cork-screw shaped.

Types of bacteria

Bacteria are classified based on how they respond to oxygen.

1)Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to live.

2 ) Facultative bacteria prefer oxygen but can survive for some time without it.

3) Anaerobic bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen.

The most important microorganisms in the activated sludge system are the aerobic bacteria.
They consume the biodegradable material found in wastewater. They consume proteins,
carbohydrates, fats and many other compounds

Bacteria can only consume soluble organic material. Solid particles of “food” must be eaten
by a two-step process.

1) Adsorption

2) Absorption

During adsorption, food particles that are too big to pass through the cell membrane and
bacteria stick to each other. The bacteria secrete enzymes, which dissolve food particles into
very small units. These small units of food can now pass through the bacteria’s cell wall.
Absorption is the process by which smaller dissolved units of food pass into the cell
membrane.

Growth Characteristics

In a typical activated sludge system. Influent wastewater or wastewater leaving primary

treatment enters the aeration basin. Microorganisms in the settled sludge are returned to the
aeration basin. Here the microorganisms mix with the wastewater. The mixture is called
“mixed liquor”. When the influent wastewater first enters the aeration basin it contains a high
level of nutrients or food. Here at the head end of the basin there is plenty of food available
and bacteria use the food mostly for growth and some for energy. A growing bacterium has
flagella (hair-like structures on the outside of the cell). The flagella make it motile and able to
move in search of food. They are multiplying rapidly and do not settle to form floc.
When food is limited however, most of the available food is used for energy and cell
maintenance. There is less food left for growth, thus less reproduction occurs. The bacterium
takes steps to conserve energy by losing its flagella. The waste products start to form a thick
slime layer outside the cell wall causing the bacteria to stick together to form floc.

Factors Affecting Bacteria Growth

Factors Affecting Bacteria Growth It is the responsibility of the operator to provide the best
possible environment for the floc-forming bacteria to grow:

Oxygen Utilization

Actively growing bacteria eat food at a rapid rate therefore using oxygen at a rapid rate. The
rate of oxygen use is normally termed the Oxygen Uptake Rate and is measured in mg
O2/hr/gm . Generally a higher Uptake Rate is associated with a higher F:M ratio and younger
sludge ages. A lower Uptake Rate is associated with a lower F:M ratio and older sludge ages.
Sludge Age

As bacteria first begin to develop in the system they grow singularly, in small clumps and
chains. They are very active with flagella and do not have a well-developed slime layer. The
bacteria are disperse and do not settle well. As the sludge is allowed to age, bacteria lose their
flagella and accumulate more slime. The small clumps and chains begin to stick together and
form floc large enough to settle.

Dissolved Oxygen

Aerobic bacteria require at least 0.1 - 0.3 mg/L of oxygen to survive. At least 2 mg/L of
oxygen must be maintained in the bulk fluid in order for the bacteria in the center of the floc to
get 0.1- 0.3 mg/L of oxygen. If not, the bacteria in the center will die and the floc will begin to
break up.

Mixing

Mixing is required to bring the bacteria, oxygen and nutrients in contact with each other.
Remember, once food is limited the bacteria lose their flagella and can no longer

swim. Without sufficient mixing, the bacteria will not bump into each other to form flow and
proper treatment will not take place.

pH

It is the bacterial enzymes that are very pH dependent. Their optimal pH is between 7.0 and
7.5. Rapid pH changes should be avoided.
Temperature

Biochemical reactions are temperature dependent. Reactions are slower in colder temperatures
so the system will require more organisms to do the work. Reactions are faster in warmer
temperatures therefore fewer bacteria are required to do the same job during the summer
months.

Nutrients

Bacteria require basic nutrients for growth (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus as well as trace
amounts of sodium, potassium, magnesium and iron. All these are present in normal domestic
sewage. Generally, industrial wastes do not contain sufficient nutrients and must be
supplemented.

ROLE OF PROTOZOA
Protozoa While 95% of the microorganisms in activated sludge are bacteria on 4% are
Protozoa. Protozoa contribute very little to the removal of organic nutrients however their
presence greatly enhances the clarity of the water. While bacteria are difficult to see under the
microscope, Protozoa are not. Although they contribute little to the removal of organics, their
behavior and the numbers of the different types of protozoa will give a an indication of
treatment system performance. Protozoa are single-celled microorganisms that come in a
large variety of sizes and shapes. Their main function in the treatment process is to remove
non-flocculent bacteria and very small floc that would not settle. They can be classified based
on the way they “eat”. Holozoic protozoa are capable of ingesting food such as bacteria
through special mouths. Holophytic protozoa absorb dissolved nutrients directly into their
cells just like bacteria. For the sake of studying their behavior in activated sludge we will
classify them in the following five categories:

 Amoeba

 Flagellates

 Naked Amoebae

•Free-swimming ciliates

•Crawling ciliates

•Stalked ciliates

Amoeba

Amoebae are the most primitive single celled protozoa. They feed mostly on solid particles in
the water and will slowly extend lobe-like projections called pseudopodia until it has
completely surrounded its food. After the food is surrounded it secrets enzymes that will break
the food particle into smaller unit that will absorb into the cell. There are two types of
amoeba; the naked amoebae and the testate amoebae. The naked amoeba is the one most are
accustomed to seeing in the science book. It looks like a blob. The testate amoebae has a shell
or “test”. Some secrete substances to form the shell while others form a shell from debris it
collects as it travels in the water.

Flagellates

Most flagellates absorb nutrients just like bacteria so they compete with bacteria for dissolved
nutrients. Flagellates peak in number while the soluble food concentration is high and the
number of bacteria is still

quite low. This, just like with amoeba is usually early in the process. However, once the
bacteria become acclimated to the environment, they multiply much faster than flagellates and
will eventually out compete them for soluble nutrients.
Ciliates

Ciliates also contribute very little to the removal of organic material from the wastewater.
They feed on bacteria not on dissolved organics. Bacteria and flagellates compete for
dissolved nutrients but ciliates compete with other ciliates and rotifers for bacteria. The
presence of ciliates is usually an indication of good treatment. They dominate after the
formation of floc and when most of the organic nutrients have been removed. They are
necessary for removing excess bacteria and algae from the fluid and clarifying the effluent.
Ciliates can be classified into three categories.

•Free-swimming ciliates

•Crawling (grazing) ciliates

•Stalked (sessile) ciliates

Free-swimming Ciliates

Free-swimming ciliate - Paramecium Free-swimming ciliates swim freely in the fluid. They
are usually covered with “cilia” which are hair-like projection that they used for locomotion
and for sweeping food into their mouths. They appear as the flagellates begin to disappear. As
the bacteria population increases much of the organic nutrients have been removed and there is
a lot of disperse bacteria available for feeding. Free-swimming ciliates begin to dominate as
they feed on the increased number of bacteria.

Crawling Ciliates

As the amount of nutrients decrease, food is limited and the bacteria begin to lose the flagella
and form a sticky slime layer that allows them to stick together to form floc. As floc particles
enlarge, crawling ciliates begin to dominate. Crawling ciliates have cilia on the under side of
the body. The cilia are twisted together to form “tufts” or legs that are used for crawling along
the floc. Crawling ciliates graze on floc particles and feed on the straggling bacteria on the
edges of the floc. As the population of disperse bacteria decreases and floc increases crawling
ciliates out compete freeswimming ciliates because they can find food within the floc and the
free-swimming ciliates cannot.

Stalked Ciliates

Stalked ciliates only have cilia surrounding the oral groove or mouth and are used to create a
current that will bring food into the mouth. Stalked ciliates appear in mature.Vorticella

Single stalked ciliates

Factors Affecting Protozoa Growth Like bacteria, there are several factors that influence how
the protozoa will grow in the treatment system.
FACTORS AFFECTING PROTOZOA

Temperature

Most protozoa can survive and reproduce in the temperature range of most activated sludge
systems. However, hey grow best in ambient temperatures of (15 - 25 degrees C).

pH

Protozoa are more sensitive to pH than floc-forming bacteria are. They have an optimum
range of 7.2 - 7.4 but can tolerate 6.0 - 6.8.

Dissolved Oxygen

Like bacteria, protozoa must have oxygen to survive. Lack of oxygen will severely limit the
kind and number of protozoa present.

Nutrients

Most municipal wastewater systems contain sufficient nutrients to support most protozoa.
Industrial wastes are more likely to be deficient in nutrients.

Role In Fungi :-
A fungus plural fungi or funguses is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that
includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms.
Fungi are photisyntheic organisms therefore do not have much impact on the overall treatment
of wastewater.If thera is an abundance of fungi,it can mean that there are potential issues with
pH or the sludge is older.it is able to grow in a wide pH.

The most study fungi that use in waste water treatment is white rod fungus (phanerochaete
chyrsosporium)

In fungus different form of biomass with a higher value could significantly change the
economics of waste water treatment.Fungi could offer this benefit in treatment of waste
water.The biomass that produce during fungal waste water treatment has,potentially,a much
higher value than that from the bacterial activated sludge process.

How to Treat Fungus in Wastewater:-

In the wastewater treatment process it happens when a wastewater plant receives high BOD
operates below pH of 7 for an elongated period of time. If left untreated the fungus will
get thicker and make it impossible to settle or dewater.
Aquafix(Organization) advises applying VitaStim Sludge.This combination will out-compete
the fungi, it generally takes two to three weeks to rid the system.
 Role of Metazoa:-
Metazoa are another type of microorganism involved in the treatment of waste water. These
multi-cellular organisms tend to be larger than protozoa.but play a smaller role in the treatment
process. in both natural and engineered treatment systems metazoa play an essential role in
the conversion of organic waste to more stable less polluting substances and also
decomposeing waste organic matter.There are different types of metazoa as well,such as
rotifrers,nematodes and tardigrades( water bear).These metazoan feed on algae and protozoa
and are typically found in older sludge such as lagoons.these microorganism also produce
waste products,some of which are desirable and some are undesirable.Gases such as carbon
dioxide and nitrogen are desirable,since they can easily separated and do not
producepollution.Gases such as sulpher althougheasily seprated require treatment for odor.The
presence of metazoans and the relative abundance of certain species can be a predictor of
operational changes within a treatment plant.In this way,an operational is able to make
adjustments and minimize negative operational effects simply by observing changes in the
metazoan population.

ROLE OF VIRUS AND ALGAE

Viruses

Viruses are also found in wastewaters, particularly human viruses that are excreted in large
quantities in feces. Viruses that are native to animals and plants exist in smaller quantities in
wastewater, although bacterial viruses may also be present. They are the causative agents of
some water-related infections in humans, such as gastrointestinal and respiratory infections,
conjunctivitis and meningitis. It is reported that a majority of waterborne diseases due to
unidentified sources were caused by enteric viruses. They are very notorious and persistent
when present in wastewater and can remain a viable source of infection for months after their
entry into the wastewater.

Algae

Algae can be found in wastewater because they are able to use solar energy for photosynthesis
as well as nitrogen and phosphorus for their growth leading to eutrophication. Some types of
algae that can be found in wastewater include Euglena, Chlamydomonas, and Oscillatoria.
Algae are significant organisms for biological purification of wastewater because they can be
able to accumulate plant nutrients, heavy metals, and pesticides, organic and inorganic toxic
substances. The use of microalgae in biological wastewater treatment has gained a lot of
importance over the years. High rate algal pond is shallow and equipped with mechanical
aeration and mixing by means of paddle wheels, 90% of BOD and 80% of nitrogen and
phosphorus are treated in high rate algal ponds. Construction and energy costs are highly lower
and the land requirement is not up to that of facultative pond in constructed wetlands.
Use of algae in wastewater treatment

Recently, algae have become significant organisms for biological purification of wastewater
since they are able to accumulate plant nutrients, heavy metals, pesticides, organic and
inorganic toxic substances and radioactive matters in their cells/bodies. Biological wastewater
treatment systems with micro algae have particularly gained importance in last 50 years and it
is now widely accepted that algal wastewater treatment systems are as effective as
conventional treatment systems. These specific features have made algal wastewaters
treatment systems an significant low-cost alternatives to complex expensive treatment systems
particularly for purification of municipal wastewaters. In addition, algae harvested from
treatment ponds are widely used as nitrogen and phosphorus supplement for agricultural
purpose and can be subjected to fermentation in order to obtain energy from methane. Algae
are also able to accumulate highly toxic substances such as selenium, zinc and arsenic in their
cells and/or bodies thus eliminating such substances from aquatic environments. Radiation is
also an important type of pollution as some water contains naturally radioactive materials, and
others become radioactive through contamination. Many algae can take up and accumulate
many radioactive minerals in their cells even from greater concentrations in the water.
MacKenthun emphasized that Spirogyra can accumulate radio-phosphorus by a factor 850.000
times that of water. Considering all these abilities of algae to purify the polluted waters of
many types, it is worth to emphasize that algal technology in wastewater treatment systems are
expected to get even more common in future years.

Advantages of use of algae in wastewater treatment

There are a symbiotic relation among bacteria and algae in aquatic ecosystems. Algae support
to aerobic bacterial oxidation of organic matter producing oxygen via photosynthesis whilst
released carbon dioxide and nutrients in aerobic oxidation use for growth of algal biomass.
Considering ammonium, carbon dioxide and orthophosphate as main nutrient sources, Oswald
determined that oxygen release ratio is 1.5 g O2/1 g algal biomass. Algae using nitrogen and
phosphorus in growth may remove to nutrients load of wastewater from a few hours to a few
days. In comparison to common treatment systems, oxidation ponds supporting growth of
some species may be effective of nutrient removal. Increasing dissolved oxygen concentration
and pH cause for phosphorus sedimentation, ammonia and hydrogen sulphur removal. High
pH in algal ponds also leads to pathogen disinfection. Removal efficiency of heavy metals by
algae shows changes among species. In fact, studies showed that chrome by Oscillatoria,
cadmium, copper and zinc by Chlorella vulgaris, lead by Chlamydomonas and molybdenum
by Scenedesmus chlorelloides may remove successfully. Although algae have adaptation
ability to sub-lethal concentrations, accumulation of heavy metals in cells may be potentially
toxic effects to the other circles of food web.
Effect on biology, Advantages of
microbes on wastewater treatment:

Effect on biology:
Sewage treatment plants can have multiple effects on nutrients level in the water that the
treated sewage flow into. These nutrients can have large effect on biological life in the water in
the contact with the effluents. Stabilization ponds can include the following.

 Oxidation ponds, which are aerobic bodies of water usually 1-2 meter in depth
that receives effluents from sedimentation tanks.
 Dominated by algae.
 Polishing ponds are similar to oxidation ponds but receives effluents from an
oxidation ponds.
 Dominated by zooplankton.
 Facultative lagoons, raw sewage lagoons or sewage lagoons are ponds where
sewage is added with no primary treatment other than coarse screening. These ponds
provide effective treatment when surface remain aerobic; although anaerobic condition
may develop near the layer of settled sludge on bottom of layer of pond.
 Anaerobic lagoons are heavily loaded ponds.
 Dominated by bacteria.
 Sludge lagoons are aerobic ponds’ usually 2-5 meter in depth’ that receives
anaerobically digested primary sludge, or activated secondary sludge under water.
 Upper layer are dominated by algae.

Phosphorus limitation is a possible result from sewage treatment and result in flagellates-
dominated plankton, particularly in summer and fall.

A phytoplankton study found high nutrients concentration linked to sewage effluents. High
nutrient concentration leads to high chlorophyll a concentration, which is a proxy for primary
production in marine environment. High primary production means high phytoplankton
population and most likely high zooplankton population, because zooplankton feed on
phytoplankton. However, effluent released into marine system also leads to greater population
instability.

Advantages of microbes in wastewater treatment:

  Microbes are used to convert the organic matter into various gases and into
tissues. The contaminant of organic substances is ingested and digested as food along
with other energy sources.
 Micro-organisms like bacteria, fungi, protozoa and algae they metabolize the
biodegradable organisms, convert them into carbon dioxide, water and energy for their
growth and reproduction.
 Bacteria grow at optimum PH. Some bacteria grow best at neutral PH and
some do not grow at below 4 and above 9.5 PH.
 In anaerobic condition the bacteria reduce excess sludge production up to 90%
and produced energy in the form of methane gas with little or no use of chemicals.
 Algae remove phosphorous and nitrogen content from wastewater.

Conclusion:
Wastewater is harmful for us. It contains harmful chemicals and germs that can effect the
health of living organisms. Different processes like primary secondary and tertiary treatments
are used to remove toxic pollutants, heavy metal and precipitations. Waste water can be
treated by biological waste water treatment processes which include activated sludge
membrane, bioreactor, trickling filter, stabilized pond constructed wetland. These treatment
processes use micro-organisms to treat waste water. Bacteria, protozoa, virus, algae, fungi
and metazoan plays an important role in removal of waste from waste water. Use of
microorganisms is efficient and environmental friendly method.

THE END