Chapter 6.

3 Biological treatment

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Application of biological treatment

Biological treatment of organic waste: optimises a natural process uses ubiquitous micro-organisms (eg bacteria, fungi) requires control of temperature and nutrient balance may be aerobic or anaerobic For hazardous waste treatment, used for: low contaminant-concentration organic wastes eg sludges
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Factors influencing biological treatment

Suitability of the waste: composition physical form pH
Biological treatment is only suitable for organic wastes with relatively low toxicity

It is not 100% efficient in destroying organic material

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Process conditions
Biological treatment processes require control of:

temperature
moisture pH level of aeration inhibitors such as metals nutrients

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Advantages of biological waste treatment

In the right conditions - ie temperature, humidity and pH - biological treatment is: Effective Tolerant to changes in waste composition these may result in a short period of inactivity, but do not halt the process

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Scope of treatment application

Wastewater treatment is the most widely used application of biological treatment eg for industries such as paper manufacture and recycling, food processing, tanneries and the pharmaceutical industry, and for landfill leachate Also: In-situ bio-remediation of contaminated soil Slurry-phase treatment Land treatment Co-composting

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On-site vs off-site treatment

For hazardous wastes, most processes suitable for on-site treatment For wastewater, central treatment - but requires pre-segregation of toxic effluents

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Typical wastewater treatment process

Pre-treatment eg physical/chemical treatment, solids separation Treatment Biological treatment Post-treatment eg filtration, adsorption

eg aerobic/ anaerobic
suspended/attached batch/continuous

BIOREACTOR

Discharge of clean effluent

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Wastewater treatment - liquid phase

Staged process Must meet discharge limits Data collection needed to prove compliance

Variations in composition must be expected

Use fixed or aqueous medium May need complementary/finishing

treatments eg lagoons, activated carbon

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Wastewater treatment - example 1 Bacterial filter beds

Fixed media Stable process Good for high charges of effluent Suitable for effluents with high organic loadings eg from canning industry, sugar industry

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Wastewater treatment - example 2 Activated sludge

Widely used eg refineries, canneries, pharmaceuticals Suitable for wastewater, aqueous hazardous wastes with < 1% suspended solids

Bacteria are aggregated in floating flocs Recirculation ensures constant bacterial charge Flexible but more sensitive process than bacterial filter beds Bioreactor needs efficient mixing and high level of dissolved oxygen Cleaner effluent than other biological processes Needs a lot of energy
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Wastewater treatment - example 3 Lagoons

Shallow impermeable water basins used for degradation of batches of effluent Depends on action from bacteria, algae or aquatic vegetation Low cost process Suitable for wastewater with low organic contents Not suitable for wastes with mainly chemical components Often used as pretreatment stage
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Slurry-phase treatment
Used for solid waste, sludge or contaminated soil Needs mixing to:
homogenise slurry break down solid particles oxygenate increase contact with microorganisms

Degrades waste at a faster rate, needs less land, than solid-phase treatment Potential for use with additional waste streams eg wastes from wood preserving, petroleum refinery wastes
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Land treatment - solid phase

involves applying wastes uniformly to prepared land at controlled rates aimed at degradation of organic constituents removes other waste constituents eg suspended solids, heavy metals purely a treatment process - land NOT suitable for cultivation Suitable for: oily sludges and waste oils organic sludges and liquids widely used in the USA by petroleum industry also possible to treat wastes from wood treatment eg preservatives such as creosote, pentachlorophenol
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Co-composting - solid phase

Mixing of hazardous wastes with biodegradable solids to act as: bulking agent - to create void spaces for passage of air
thermal source - by biological decomposition Usually need two different materials as: good bulking agent eg wood chips are poor thermal source good thermal source eg dry molasses are poor bulking agent

Process takes place:

in windrows, turned to ensure adequate aeration in static piles where air is forced or sucked through material in vessel which offers greater process control/ VOC containment

Used for:
soils contaminated with coal tar for TNT-contaminated sediments and soils
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In-situ bio-remediation
Enables treatment without excavation and removal of contaminated material
An aerobic process Enhances natural biodegradation Influenced by hydrogeological factors Can reduce contamination to acceptable levels in relatively short time eg 1-2 years

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Soil heaping - solid phase

Combines land treatment and windrow composting Effective for treating large volumes of contaminated soil and other wastes with low concentration of organics Valuable where available land area is restricted

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Emerging applications for biological treatment

For many waste types, biological treatment is still in early stage of development

New applications are being tested and developed eg for treating additional hazardous waste streams for integrating biological processes with physical-chemical treatment

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Key considerations
Waste reduction and avoidance by generators should always be a priority
Role of on-site vs off-site technologies Need to consider residues from treatment processes and their disposal Transitional technologies may be used until final high-quality installations are available

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Chapter 6.3 Summary

Biological treatment of hazardous waste optimises a natural process is suitable for low concentration organic wastes eg sludges requires good control of process conditions is relatively low cost, effective and tolerant to changes in waste is most widely used for wastewater treatment may be on-site or off-site new applications being developed

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