• Blog
  • Wastewater Testing
  • Bioaugmentation Applications
  • Useful Information
  • About Us
BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT EXPERT
Contact Us

Types of Microbes in Wastewater Treatment Plants

6/12/2014

 
PictureBacillus seen using electron microscopy
The microbes in the wastewater treatment plant include:

Bacteria:
As small prokaryotic (no cell nucleus or organelles), bacteria form the "backbone" of the wastewater treatment plant in that they are the most common organisms and they do most of the work in converting pollutants into non-hazardous forms. The species vary according to system temperature, pH, inlet chemical makeup, dissolved oxygen, and other environmental factors. Usually we classify wastewater bacteria based on their ability to grow under various temperatures (psychrophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles) and the ability to utilize oxygen or other electron acceptor for cellular respiration (aerobic, facultative anaerobic, obligate anaerobe).

Fungi:
A more complex organism than bacteria, Fungi can be unicellular (yeasts) or multicellular with hyphae. In waste treatment we usually have higher concentrations of fungi under low pH conditions (pH <5.0). Other factors that can favor fungi include complex organics (lignin and other complex biopolymers) and low concentration of macronutrients (nitrogen & phosphorus). Usually fungi are found in much lower concentrations than bacteria in wastewater.

Archaea:
Once classified as an unusual bacteria group, over the past 20 years scientists have moved archaea into a separate kingdom. Possessing unique cell membranes and chemistry, archaea microbes are found in such environments as ocean thermal vents, hot springs, anaerobic digesters, ruminant digestive systems, and other diverse environments. In waste treatment we most often see archaea in methane producing microbes in anaerobic digesters. These methanogens, produce methane from short-chain organic acids and H2 which are produced by facultative and obligate anaerobic bacteria. The activity of the methanogens is vital for COD/BOD reduction in anaerobic digesters and for production of methane gas. Most other archaea are found in low concentrations in wastewater treatment plants and are secondary to bacteria in importance.

underground drainage systems link
7/19/2014 06:45:45 am

This treatment really necessary for remove the bacteria and life safety. I humbly appreciated your article and helpful . Thanks for share with us.

Chhote lal
1/13/2017 05:41:33 pm

Alice Carroll link
5/31/2020 11:42:20 pm

It's interesting to know that certain yeasts can exists in wastewater treatment plants. I'm planning to build a restaurant in an empty lot that I recently acquired and I'd like to make sure that my disposal of waste would be done in an efficient manner. I will definitely consider a wastewater treatment so since it can help a lot in recycling water.

rocklee link
3/3/2021 12:22:05 am

Very helpful Information

Thomas Clarence link
3/5/2021 12:54:45 pm

It was really interesting to read about how small bacteria do the backbone work of a waste treatment plant. From what I know, there are still some chemicals that need to be used in order to make sure that water is safe for people to drink and use in other parts of their lives. It's pretty cool to think that humans have developed the technology that allows us to consistently recycle water.

Raj Water link
8/23/2021 08:56:01 pm

You have shared very good information. Thanks a lot. We need to do a lot to purify water.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Picturepest, marcoverch, perzonseowebbyra, Picturepest, Picturepest, dsearls, dungodung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, aqua.mech, vastateparksstaff, hile, Aaron Volkening, amishsteve, Neil DeMaster, mklwong88, KOMUnews, Picturepest, kaibara87