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CE 333
WASTE WATER ENGINEERING

Dr. MAHBUBOOR RAHMAN

CHOUDHURY

LECTURE ON~
MICROORGANISM

Bacteria

Important Organisms
in Biological Treatment 80% 20%
Water Solid
BACTERIA
•  Single cell protists.
•  They use soluble food and in general are found 90% 10%
whenever moisture and a food source are available. Organic Inorganic
•  Their usual mode of reproduction is by binary fission.
•  Bacteria are capable of storing food particles outside the cell by means of
extracellular enzymes and hence can remove soluble, colloidal and solid
organic matter from waste water.
•  Each type of bacteria lives and multiplies under specific environmental
conditions. Of the various environmental conditions, light, air, water, food,
temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen play very important part.
•  Among these, temp and pH play a vital role in the life and death of bacteria.
•  Rate of reaction will be doubled with about every 10° C of rise in temp.
•  Few bacteria can tolerate acid or alkaline conditions and most organisms
(bacteria) cannot tolerate pH levels above 9.5 or below 4.0.
•  Generally the optimum pH for growth lies between 6.5 and 7.5.
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Classification of Bacteria

1.  DEPENDING ON TEMPERATURE –

Temperature (ºC)
Type
Range Optimum
Psychrophilic -2 to 30 12 to 18
Mesophilic 20 to 45 25 to 40
Thermophilic 45 to 75 55 to 65

2. DEPENDING ON NEED FOR OXYGEN –

•  Aearobic – Oxygen is essential for oxidizing organic matter
•  Anaerobic – Oxidation of OM occur in absence of oxygen
•  Facultative – Can grow aerobically in presence of air as well as
anaerobically in absence of air.
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Classification of Bacteria … …

3. DEPENDING ON SHAPE –
Rod shaped – width 0.5 µ to 1.0 µ and length 1 µ to 3 µ
Spherical – diameter 0.5 µ to 1.0 µ
Spiral – width 0.5 µ to 5 µ and length 6 µ to 15 µ

4. DEPENDING ON ENERGY & CARBON SOURCE FOR CELL SYNTHESIS–

Based on source of Energy:
•  Phototrophs – Uses energy from Sunlight.
•  Chemotrophs – Obtains energy from chemical reaction.
Chemoorganotrophs – Uses organic chemicals for energy.
Chemolithotrophs – Uses inorganic chemicals for energy.
Based on source of Carbon:
•  Autotrophs – Uses inorganic carbon, such as CO2 for cell synthesis.
•  Heterotrophs – Uses organic compound for cell synthesis.
Commonly: Chemolithotrophs are Autotrophs, and Chemoorganotrophs are Heterotrophs.
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Metabolism of Bacteria

Bacterial
metabolism
has two
component
parts:

Catabolism for
energy

Anabolism for
synthesis.

• One-third of BOD is used in catabolic

reactions and two-thirds in anabolic
Metabolism of reactions.
Bacteria … … • When a microorganism cell has depleted its
food reserves, it starts to oxidize itself,
this process is known as autolysis (=self-
destruction), leads of course to death.
• Autolysis does not proceed to completion
since approximately 20-25% of the cell
mass is resistant to aerobic degradation

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FUNGI

•  Multicellular, nonphotosynthetic, heterotrophic protists.

•  Most fungi are strict aerobes.

•  Ability to grow under low moisture condition.

•  Can tolerate a relatively low pH range of 2 to 9, optimum is 5 to 6.

•  Survive in nitrogen limiting condition.

•  Important in biological treatment of some industrial waste.

•  Being relatively large and filamentous shape, fungi tends to settle

poorly and undesirable in biological treatment process.
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ALGAE

•  Algae are unicellular or multicellular, autotrophic photosyntehtic

protists.
•  Undesirable in water supply for bad taste, odour and shorten filter run.
•  Aesthetically objectionable.
•  In waste stabilization ponds, algae are valuable to produce oxygen.
•  Reaction:
light
(1) Photosynthesis CO2 + 2H2O → CH2O + O2 + H2O
(new algae cell)
(2) Respiration CH2O + O2 → CO2 + H2O

Because algae use CO2 in photosynthetic activity, high pH conditional can

result.
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PROTOZOA

•  Protozoa are motile, microscopic protists that are usually single

cells.

•  The majority of protozoa are aerobic heterotrophs, although a few

are anaerobic.

•  Protozoa are generally an order of magnitude larger than bacteria

and often consume bacteria as an energy source.

•  The protozoa act as polishers of the effluents from biological waste-

treatment processes by consuming bacteria and particulate organic
matter.

•  The reproduce by binary fission.

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SOME OTHERS

ROTIFERS
•  Rotifers are aerobic, heterotrophic and multicellular.
•  Rotifers are very effective in consuming dispersed and flocculated
bacteria, protozoa and small particles of organic matter.
VIRUSES
•  Obligate parasites and requires a host to live in.
•  Causes various diseases.
•  During wastewater treatment, these are controlled by chlorination
and proper disposal of the plant effluent.
FISHES

BACTERIA -> ROTIFER -> FISH

When bacteria is flocculated, then they can be removed without
settlement. If rotifer is introduced there, then rotifer will consume
bacteria and fish consumes rotifer. So where there is rotifer, there is
fish also. Thus fish has significance in sewage treatment.
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Sewage

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Role of Bacteria in Sewage Treatment

•  Being capable of making food particles soluble outside the cell wall by
means of extracellular enzymes, bacteria can remove soluble, colloidal and
solid organic matter from wastewater.
•  Rod-shaped, facultative and mesophilic (20 to 45 degree centigrade)
bacteria is important in aerobic treatment.
•  Oxidize dead organic matter and grow extremely well in sewage.
•  Capable of exuding a slimy flocculent layer which in some treatment units
(e.g. activated sludge) is an important mechanism.
•  The end products of aerobic activity are CO2, H2O, SO4-2, NO3-, NH3 and
more bacteria.
•  Available energy is converted into either cell mass or heat, yielding a stable
effluent, which will not undergo further decomposition. And this indicates
the completion of treatment.
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Role of Bacteria in Sewage Treatment

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Favorable Environment for Bacterial Growth

•  Sufficient nutrients should be available. Bacteria require relatively

large amounts of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen; smaller
amounts of phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, calcium, iron and
magnesium; and trace quantities of several other elements (e.g. zinc,
molybdenum).
•  Absence of toxic compounds (Chlorine compounds, Cr, Pb, Hg, Ag
etc)
•  The environment itself is suitable, having the following conditions-
•  Neutral pH (about 6.5-8.5 units)
•  Correct concentration of dissolved oxygen (zero for anaerobes;
a minimum of 1-2 mg/l for aerobic growth)
•  Temperature around 35º C.

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Typical Bacterial growth pattern

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Typical Bacterial growth pattern … …

(I) LAG PHASE

•  Cell numbers do not increase;
•  The bacteria are internally active, manufacture extra-cellular catalysts
(enzymes) required for oxidation of waste.
(II) EXPONENTIAL OR LOG PHASE
•  Logarithmic growth occurs.
•  Lay down food reserves within their cells for use in food deficient period.
•  Bacteria grow as fast as they are able to in the waste.
•  Log growth phase coincides with the maximum rate of substrate (waste)
removal, but not the optimum zone of operation for waste treatment
systems.
•  In this phase food must be in ample supply, but a low concentration is
desired in the treated waste.
•  Maximum rate of utilization requires that other growth factors, such as
oxygen, be supplied at a maximum rate and this may be difficult to do.
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Typical Bacterial growth pattern … …

•  Finally, bacteria in the log growth phase have a great deal of energy
available, have limited accumulation of waste products, and hence are
likely to be dispersed, and difficult to remove by sedimentation.
(III) DECLINING GROWTH PHASE
Food becomes the limiting factor in further growth.
This phase is generally used for biological treatment systems.
(IV) STATIONARY PHASE
The no. of new cells is approximately balanced by those that die
Population cell density does not change.

(V) DEATH PHASE

When death rate exceeds the growth rate; the culture enters the death phase.
The population density steadily declines.
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Typical Bacterial growth pattern … …

Figure: Bacterial growth pattern

During both the stationary and death phases there are a substantial proportion of
cells which neither die nor subdivide. They exist by utilizing the intracellular
food reserves laid down during exponential growth; this process is known as
endogenous respiration.
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Typical Bacterial growth pattern … …

(Relation between F/M ratio and Bio-mass Settling Characteristic)

Growth Food : MO Waste Bio-mass Settling

Phase ratio (F/M) Removal Rate Characteristics

Log Very High Maximum Dispersed, Poor

Declining Growth Moderate Good Good

Stationary Low Moderate Very good

Death Very low Negative Autolysis

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Typical Bacterial growth pattern … …

(Relation between F/M ratio and Bio-mass Settling Characteristic)

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Expression of OM concentration

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BOD

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Biodegradable organics and BOD

Biodegradable material consists of organics that can be utilized for food

by naturally occurring microorganisms within a reasonable length of
time. In dissolved form, these materials usually consist of starches,
fats, proteins, alcohols, acids, aldehydes and esters. They may be the
end product of the initial microbial decomposition of plant or animal
tissue, or they may result from domestic or industrial wastewater
discharges. Although some of these materials can cause color, taste
and odor problems, the principal problem associated with
biodegradable organics is a secondary effect resulting from the
action of microorganisms on these substances.

The amount of oxygen consumed during microbial utilization of

organics is called BOD.

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Effect of oxygen on microbial decomposition

Microbial utilization of dissolved organics can be accompanied by oxidation

(addition of oxygen to, or the deletion of hydrogen from, elements of the
organic molecule) or by reduction (addition of hydrogen to, or the
deletion of oxygen from, elements of the organic molecule). Although it is
possible for the two processes to occur simultaneously, the oxidation
process is by far more efficient and is predominant when oxygen is
available.

In aerobic (oxygen-present) environments, the end products of microbial

decomposition of organics are stable and acceptable compounds.
Anaerobic (oxygen-absent) decomposition results in unstable and
objectionable end products. The oxygen demanding nature of
biodegradable organics is of utmost importance in natural water systems.
When oxygen utilization occurs more rapidly than oxygen can be
replenished by transfer from the atmosphere, anaerobic conditions that
severely affect the ecology of the system will result.
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First Stage BOD Equation

(2nd stage BOD: When nitrogenous BOD starts……., not
much important for us)

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Comparison of Oxygen demand and BOD remaining

with respect to time

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Yt = L0 (1-e-kt)
Here, Yt represents the BOD at any
time t of the water. The value of yt
BOD and Oxygen
approaches L 0 asymptotically,
equivalent relationship indicating that the total or ultimate
BOD is equal to the initial oxygen
demand of the water L0.

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Changes in OM during biological oxidation of sewage

under aerobic conditions

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CARBONACEOUS AND NITROGENOUS MATTER

The rate at which organics are utilized by microorganisms is assumed to

be a first order reaction; that is the rate at which organics utilized is
proportional to the amount available. Mathematically, this can be
expressed as follows:

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Illustration of carbonaceous and nitrogenous BOD

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BOD exertion as a
function of reaction
constant k
The value of k determines the speed of the BOD reaction without
influencing the magnitude of the ultimate BOD. Numerical values of k range
from 0.1~ 0.5 per day depending on the nature of the organic molecules.
Simple compounds such as sugars and starches are easily utilized by the
microorganisms and have a high k rate, while complex molecules such as
phenols are difficult to assimilate and have low k values.
kT = k20θT-20
A value of 1.047 for θ is often used although θ is known to vary somewhat
with temperature ranges.
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Example problem: BOD -1

The BOD and O2 equivalent BOD and O2 equivalent relationship

relation at 20˚C of Dhanmondi
Lake is shown in the following 10 250

diagram, Find, 8 200

O2 level (mg/l)

BOD(mg/l)

(a) BOD5 6 150

(b) K at 30˚C 4 100
(c) time when fish start to die, y = 9e-0.23x
2 50
if they requires minimum 4mg/ 0 0
l O2 to survive in the water 0 5 10 15 20
and, Time, days
(d) Ultimate O2 demand.

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Example Problem-2, 3, 4

Example 2: The 5-day BOD of a sewage is 200 mg/L. If

k1=0.17d-1. Find the ultimate BOD?

Example 3: A sample of sewage was incubated for 2 days

and the BOD of the sample was observed to be 165 ppm at
20˚C. Determine its 5-day 20˚C and 10-day 20˚C BOD
values. Assume k1 (20˚C) = 0.17d-1.

Example 4: The BOD5 of wastewater is determined to be

150 mg/L at 20˚C. The k-value is known to be 0.23 per day.
What would BOD8 be if the test were run at 15˚C?
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COD

Chemical Oxygen Demand

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of a sewage or wastewater is the amount of oxygen
required for the oxidation of readily oxidized carbonaceous organic matter present in the
sewage or wastewater and it is determined by chemical digestion of the sewage of
wastewater with a strong oxidizing agent in acid solution. Hence it is a measure of
readily oxidizeable carbonaceous organic matter present in the sewage or wastewater
and gives an idea about the polluting strength of the sewage and wastewater. The test
is limited in use as it does not give the total oxygen needed for chemical oxidation of all
organic matter. However, COD test is conducted for appropriate determination of organic
matters present in the sewage and wastewater and has the merit of its simplicity and
gives quick results.

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