CHAPTER 5

WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

WASTEWATER MICROBIOLOGY Role of Microorganism The stabilization of organic matter is accomplished biologically using a variety of microorganism.

Classification of Microorganism By Kingdoms Microorganisms are organized into five broad groups based on their strutural and functional differences.

Kingdoms

+ Animals=Multicellular, motile, exhibit -under eucaryotes tissue differentiation, heterotrophic. Cells nonmotile, (e.g. Rotifers, Crustaceans) -under Procaryotes+ Fungi=Most multicellular, contain membranebound No distinct nucleus anddecomposer. membranous heterotrophic, no nucleus and organelles membranous organelles (e.g. Mushrooms, yeasts)

+ Plants=Multicellular, nonmotile, exhibit tissue differenctiation, most + Protista=Most unicellular, most + Bacteria=Unicellular, some motile, photosynthetic. motile, some heterotrophic, come some nonmotile, some Ferns, some (e.g. Mosses, heterotrophic, photosynthetic. decomposer, some photosynthetic algae) (e.g. Amoebas, Some Algae) (e.g. Salmonella, Escherichia)

By energy and carbon source Relationship between the source of carbon and the source of energy for the convertion in the wastewater in the cells of microorganism.

-Heterotrophic=microorganism uses organic material as a supply of carbon -Autotrophs=requires only CO2 to supplu their carbon needs. -Phototrophs=Organism that rely on the sunfor energy -Chemotrophs=extracts energy from organic or inorganic oxidation/reduction reaction. -Organotrophs=use organic materials -Lithotrophs=oxidize inorganic compouds

By their relationship to oxygen Bacteria can be also classified by their ability or inability to tuilize oxygen as a terminal electro acceptor in oxidation/reduction reactions.

-Obligate aerobes=Microorganisms that must have oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor. -Obligate anaerobes=microorganisms that cannot survive in the pressence of oxygen. -Facultative anaerobes=microorganism that can use oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor and under certain conditions, they can also grow in the absence of oxygen.

Some Microbes of Interest in Wastewater Treatment Bacteria single-celled organisms which use soluble food. Conditions in the treatment plant are adjusted so that chemoheterotrophs predominate. Fungi multicellular, nonphotosynthetic, heterotrophic organisms. Fungi are obligate aerobes that reproduce by a variety of methods including fission, buding, and spore formation. Their cells requires only half as much nitrogen asbacteria so that in a nitrogen-deficeint wastewater, they predominate over the bacteria. Algea Photoautotrophs microorganism and may be iether unicellular or multicellular. Most of them contained with chlorophyll, they produeced oxygen through photosynthesis. Protozoa single-celled organism that can reproduce by binary fission(divided into two). Most are aerobic chemoheterotrophs, and they often consume bacteria. They are desirable in wastewater effluents because they act as polisher in consuming the bacterial. Rotifers and crustaceans both rotifers and crustaceans are animals-aerobic, multicellular chemoheterotrophs.

Rotifers derices its name from rotating motion of two sets of cilia on its head that provides them mobility and mechanism for catching food. They consume bacteria and small particles of organis matter. Crustaceans a group that includes shrimp, lobsters, and barnacles, are characterized by their shell structure. They are a source of food for fish and are not found in wastewater treatment systems to any extent except in underloaded lagoons. Their presence is indicative of high level of dissolved oxygen and avery low level of organic matter.

Bacterial Biochemistry + Metabolism-> describes the chemical activity performed by a cell -Catabolism=> biochemical process by which a substrate is degrade to end products with the releas of energy -Anabolism=>bichemical processes by which the bacterium synthesizs ne chemical compounds needed by the cells to live and reproduce.

Decomposition of Waste The type of electron acceptor available for catabolism determines the type of decomposition used by a mixed culture of microorganism and has peculiar characteristics which affect its use in wast treatment.
Aerobic decomposition is a method of choice forlarg quantities of dilute wastwater because decomposition is rapid, efficient and has low odor potential. For high-strength wastewater, aerobic decomposition is not suuitable because of the difficulty in suplying enough oxygen and because of the larg amount of biological sludge produced.

Anoxic decomposition the end products from denitrification are nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, water and new cell material. The amount of energy made available to the cell during denitrification is about the same as that made available during aerobic decomposition. As a consequence, the rate of production of new cells, although not as high as in aerobic decomposition, is relatively high.

Anaerobic decomposition molecular oxygen and nitrate must not be present as terminal electron acceptors. Sulfate, carbon dioxide, and organic compounds that can be reduced serve as terminal electron acceptors. The reduction of sulfate result in the production of hydrogen sulfide and a group of equally odiferous organic sulfur compounds called marcaptans.

+ anaerobic decomposition(fermentaion)==> yields carbon dioxide, methane, and water as the major end products. Additional end products include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and mercaptans. As a consequence of these last three compounds, anaerobic decomposition is charcterized by an unbelievable horrid stench! Two-step process Complex organic compounds are fermented to low-molecular-weight fatty acids(volatile acids) Organic acids are converted to methane. Carbon dioxide serves as the electron acceptor.