Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wastewater Treatment
and the Role of Laboratory
Screening Grit
to disposal to disposal Chemical addition for
Oxygen phosphorus removal
Chlorine
Scientific Communications
organic contaminants. Oxygen is supplied for res- Controlling population dynamics also con-
piration, the pH is kept between 6.5 and 8.5, and tributes to the biological removal of ammonia. For
nutrients are provided to maximize the microbial example, aerobic nitrifying bacteria (Nitro-
reproduction rate. somonas species and Nitrobacter species) convert
Activated sludge generally consists of bacteria, ammonia to nitrate. Other microbial groups are
protozoa, rotifers, and sometimes nematodes. used in treating toxic organic materials as well.
Bacteria—the predominant microorganism—sta- The increased microbial population consumes
bilize the organic matter and form settleable the organic material more rapidly, producing
aggregations of cells in suspension. Although all activated sludge that can be settled by gravity in
4
types of bacteria can be found in activated sludge, the final clarifier (Fig 4). To maintain the optimal
Section
the nature of the organic material determines microbial population, part of the settled acti-
which genera will predominate.2 vated sludge (in the clarifier) is returned to the
As for the free-swimming ciliated protozoa and basin, and another portion is wasted to prevent
rotifers, they improve the settleability of the acti- overpopulation.
vated sludge. Protozoa do not help to stabilize the
organic material, but they feed on the bacteria that Chemical Processes
consume it. Rotifers devour larger fragments of Chemical unit processes include adsorption,
the activated sludge, and their presence signifies a disinfection, gas transfer, and precipitation.
stable biological system. Treated wastewater must be disinfected before it
is released into waterways. The traditional dis-
infectant is chlorine because it is toxic to
Physical Processes
Physical unit processes rely on gravity or mechan-
ical devices to remove contaminants. Typically, the
Wastewater Analysis
An important part of wastewater processing is
the accurate quantitative measurement of waste-
water constituents during various stages of treat-
ment. This is where laboratory professionals play a
Fig 3. A floating
mixer within the microorganisms, soluble in water, and relatively vital role. Wastewater flow rates and characteristics
activated sludge inexpensive. But chlorine also has negative constantly fluctuate, and accurate analyses make
basin keeps the effects on aquatic organisms. In fact, its poten- it possible to track the effectiveness of the
biomass suspended. tial to form undesirable by-products has purification process.
resulted in legislation to limit the amount of An important quantity in wastewater treat-
chlorine that can be discharged into waterways. ment is the organic content. The most frequently
Other ways to disinfect treated wastewater used marker for this is the biochemical oxygen
include ozonization, adding sulfur dioxide, and demand, which is determined by measuring the
exposure to UV radiation. amount of oxygen taken up by microorganisms as
Precipitation removes inorganic contaminants they consume the organic waste. The level of
such as phosphorus, which treatment facilities are another parameter, total suspended solids, deter-
required to remove because it supports the mines how much solid material will be collected
growth of undesirable algae in waterways. One during sedimentation and measures the amount
way to eliminate phosphorus is to add lime, alu- of solid expected to settle in the waterway after
minum sulfate, ferric sulfate, or ferric chloride to
wastewater. These compounds react to form
Scientific Communications
is available on WebPath: The Internet Pathology
Laboratory (Edward C. Klatt, MD, University of Utah,
mine population dynamics and measurements of
Salt Lake City) Web site. dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature in the acti- Test Your
http://www-medlib.med.utah.edu/WebPath/COW/ vated sludge basins. Knowledge!
COW011.html Look for the CE
Update exam on
Conclusion
The “Hematology Image Atlas” is available on the Waste (003) in the
Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA) Web site.
Wastewater treatment facilities apply biological, May issue of
http://hms.medweb.harvard.edu/HS_Heme/ chemical, and physical principles under controlled Laboratory Medicine.
AtlasTOC.htm conditions to remove contaminants from large Participants will earn
volumes of water. With the aid of laboratory pro- 3 CMLE credit hours.
Wastewater fessionals, such treatment plants accomplish this
4
The latest National Water Quality Inventory Report task in an area much smaller than that required by
Section
to Congress, “The Quality of Our Nation’s Water:
a naturally occurring process. Water released from
1996,” US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,
Washington, DC), Office of Water, is available on the
these plants has minimal negative effects on the
EPA Web site. environment and public health, thus permitting
http://www.epa.gov/305b/execsum.html the use of waterways for recreation.l
The Office of Wastewater Management, Office of
References
Water, EPA, Home page includes information about 1. Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. Wastewater Engineering, Treatment,
municipal technologies, industrial pretreatment, Disposal, Reuse. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1979.
biosolids, and water efficiency. 2. McKinney R. Microbiology for Sanitary Engineers. New
http://www.epa.gov/owm/ York: McGraw-Hill; 1962.
3. Sawyer C, McCarty P. Chemistry for Sanitary Engineers. 2nd
ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1967.
These sites were accessed February 29, 2000, and
are offered for reader information only. A site’s
presence on this list does not constitute an
endorsement by the ASCP.