WASTEWATER FILTRATION BY

BIOLOGICAL WAYS
Darius Low Cheng Zuo, Lee Xue Yee, Thooy Xiao Kuan, Yap Ke Shane, Darren Lim Zi Yang

INTRODUCTION PROBLEM STATEMENT

Water, our most essential natural resource, is facing a crisis, with two thirds of the world's population predicted to 1) Chlorination is the most common type of water treatment. Biological water
confront a shortage in less than 20 years (Machineni L, 2019). To solve this, recycling wastewater from human activities filtration was seldom being introduced in the water treatment industry, as many
like washing and using the toilet is a viable solution. Wastewater treatment can be categorized into conventional and people think that biological water treatment is a rather slow process (Motlagh &
biological methods. Biological methods can be categorized into three types: aerobic, anaerobic, and anoxic. As a Goel, 2014).
conventional method, there is a chemical or physical treatment that can be used. Firstly, precipitation method helps to
change the form of dissolved metal ions into solid particles to facilitate their sedimentation(Qasem et al., 2021). Next,
2) There are many methods that could be used for water filtration, such as
coagulation and flocculation which removes bulk suspended solids by adding various chemicals into a reaction tank.
conventional method and biological method. Water treatment industry are
Moreover, the filtration method, which filters out all the contaminants and insoluble particles present in the wastewater
comparing the features between these two water filtration methods. People are
by using a sand filter (Saravanathamizhan & Perarasu,2021). While biological treatment uses living bacteria to purify
having a hard time opted for one of the method, as each of these methods has
the water, chemical treatment uses chemical reactants. Unlike bacteria, chemicals are effective at removing toxic
its own advantages and disadvantages.
soluble metals. However, chemical treatment utilize a large number of chemicals and generate large quantities of
sludge, which is difficult to handle and requires additional treatment processes (Yeoh et al., 2022).

OBJECTIVES
1) To introduce biological water filtration technique.
2) To compare between conventional and biological methods of water filtration.

BIOLOGICAL WAYS OF WATER FILTRATION

AEROBIC RESPIRATION
It uses oxygen to break down organic pollutants,
nitrogen and phosphorus. A compressor is a mechanical
aeration device that will continuously add oxygen to the
wastewater (Liu et al, 2005). Next, the organic content
is then consumed by aerobes, which will produce carbon
dioxide and biomass, which can be romoved from water
ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION
In the absence of oxygen, microorganism is used to break
down organic pollutants in the wastewater. However, these
organisms utilize the oxygen that is present in the oxides
that are added to the system or that is found in the
organic matter that is already in the wastewater.
Anaerobes transform them into methane and carbon
dioxide. (Kieran, 2016)
ANOXIC RESPIRATION
In the absence of oxygen, removal of nitrogen as
nitrogen compounds will causes nutrient pollution
from wastewater aided by anoxic zones. Bacteria is
used to break down nitrogen products in the anoxic
zone and this will separate the molecules and release
oxygen.(Frankel, 2020)

ADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES

Polishes the anaerobic effluent, leading to higher treatment
efficiency.
It is advantageous in the operational and economic aspects of
treating high strength industrial wastewaters.
DISADVANTAGES
Only suitable for the treatment of high strength wastewaters
(biodegradable COD concentrations over 4000 mg/L)
Cannot treat highly polluted industrial waters due to the high
level of COD, potential for energy generation and low surplus
sludge production
High energy consumption
Uses microorganisms to break down organic matter and It enhance the biodegradability of organic matter in
substances in wastewater in the absence of oxygen. wastewater.
Low energy cost Increases sludge density
Degrades eruptive organic compound present in wastewater. Reduces the growth of filamentous organisms due to
absence of oxygen.
DISADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
Produces an unpleasant smell after long period of time.
Requires enormous amounts of energy
Anaerobes may produce excess organic acids when the
Releases harmful gases into the atmosphere (greenhouse
conditions are optimum, which kills the anaerobes due to
gases and nitrous oxide)
acidic condition.
Requires more unit in order to increase efficiency

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the investigation of biological water filtration has shed light on both its advantages and
disadvantages. While this method helps with the removal of nitrogen compounds and nutrient pollution
using anoxic zones, it may also be challenging as sludge will be produced. Aerobic and anaerobic
respiration play a major role in breaking down pollutants, each having its own benefits, such as efficient
treatment and cost savings. However these methods would also lead to problems such as bad odour and
the production of organic acids. More further research has to be conducted to improve the efficiency,
effectiveness and sustainability of biological water filtration. However, there are disadvantages, like
high energy consumption and its dependency on certain microorganism. Lastly, conventional filtration
focuses on physical and chemical methods, and this method often necessitates the use of additional
chemicals, mechanical processes and significant energy consumption. This could contribute to higher
operational costs and environmental concerns than biological water filtration.
REFERENCE
[1] Jain, R. (2023, November 7). Common problems in wastewater treatment plants [Post]. LinkedIn.
[2] Abdel-Shafy, H. I., Abdel-Halim, R. S., & El-Khateeb, M. A. (2023). Treatment of industrial wastewater using a novel hybrid
photocatalytic-biological process. Journal of Environmental Management, 329, 116711.
[3] Glaser, B. G. (1968). The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Social problems, 12(4), 436-445.
[4] Wu, J. Y., Wang, C. Y., Lin, C. F., & Chen, H. W. (2000). Investigation on the effective disposal of sludge. Water Science and
Technology, 41(8), 130–135.
[5] Deng, S., Luo, H., Wang, L., & Zhang, Z. (2023). A Review of the Mechanisms and Applications of Graphene-Based Materials for
Wastewater Treatment. Nanomaterials, 9(4), 612.
[6] Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog. (2014, May 28). Sewage sludge (biosolids) contaminants move to groundwater.
[7] Papajová, I., Stolárik, O., & Koščová, M. (2022). Effect of wastewater treatment on bacterial community, antibiotic-resistant
bacteria and endoparasites. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), 2750.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052750
[8] Zhang, Q., Li, S., Zhang, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, L., Zhang, K., & Liu, Z. (2021). Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their associated
resistance genes in sewage sludge from China. Nature Microbiology, 6(8), 1171-1181.
[9] Rodriguez-Mozaz, S., Chamorro, S., Marti, E., Huerta, B., Barcelo, D., & Balcazar, J. L. (2015). Review on biological wastewater
treatment and antibiotic resistance. Water Science & Technology, 72(11), 2013-2023.
[10] Yorkor, B., & Momoh, Y. (2019, September 29). A Review of Anoxic Wastewater Treatment: An Overlooked Aspect in
Wastewater Treatment in Nigeria. American Journal of Water Resources