Municipal and

Domestic
Wastewater
Treatment
The Largest Biotechnology
Industry in the World …
…and the least understood?
Veolia Water

N° 1 worldwide for water services;

revenue of €12.5 billion for 2008;
providing drinking water and wastewater
treatment services to more than 139 million people
around the world;
93,433 employees;
Permanent operations in 64 countries;
Managing close to 4,400 contracts around the world.
•62,000 employees serving
●
68 million people worldwide with drinking water
●
44 million people for wastewater services
●
46 million people for waste collection service
●
Revenues of $18.4 billion in 2007
●
An R&D budget of $95 million for water research
 Wastewater is the biggest waste by volume
in New Zealand. Approximately 1.5 billion
litres of domestic wastewater is discharged
into the environment daily.
Wastewater in Auckland:

Watercare
 wastewater from about 800,000 people
 industrial customers equivalent of 370,000 people.
 290,000 cubic metres of wastewater each day.

North Shore City WTP serves 199,000 people

Other plants in Pukekoe,Waiuku, Beachlands, Kumeu,

Orewa, Warkworth, Helensville, Waiheke Cleavdon,
on site treatment all rural properties
What is wastewater? (aka Sewage)
 Water (99%)
 Organics
 Nutrients
 Toxic materials
 Infectious agents
 Plus??
 Faecal coliform Bacteria (MPN/100ml x106)
50 60 100
Copper (mg/l) 0.14 0.17 0.21
Chromium 0.003 0.01 0.016
Cadmium 0.04 0.08 0.16
Nickel 0.01 0.06 0.11
Lead 0.05 0.1 0.2
Zinc 0.19 0.29 0.38
Henry and Heinke 1989 Environmental science and engineering, Prentice Hall p416
http://www.earthwise.dep.state.pa.us/content/knowledgedocs/pdf/WastewaterCompositionComparisons.pdf
Waste product for treatment and
disposal?

or

Resource to recover and use?

Discussion
Wastewater treatment
 What should waste treatment achieve?
 What are the microbiological processes that
can be coopted?
 Control strategies to optimise the microbial
function.
Wastewater treatment

 What should waste

treatment achieve?

 Recover Materials and

Energy
 Remove or Reduce
Environmental and Human
Health Risk
 Priorities for reduce or
remove Faecal coliform Bacteria (MPN/100ml x106)
 Safely Dispose of Residue 50 60 100
Copper (mg/l) 0.14 0.17 0.21
Chromium 0.003 0.01 0.016
Cadmium 0.04 0.08 0.16
Nickel 0.01 0.06 0.11
Lead 0.05 0.1 0.2
Zinc 0.19 0.29 0.38
What are the microbiological processes that
can be coopted?

 Biodegradation -
 Bioconversion
 Removal/separation
– flocculation
attachment to
surfaces
 Inactivation, lysis Faecal coliform Bacteria (MPN/100ml x106)
50 60 100
Copper (mg/l) 0.14 0.17 0.21
Chromium 0.003 0.01 0.016
Cadmium 0.04 0.08 0.16
Nickel 0.01 0.06 0.11
Lead 0.05 0.1 0.2
Zinc 0.19 0.29 0.38
Microbial Processes and Influences
 Biodegradation
 biomass + energy+ residual
 Biodegradation requires
 degrading organisms and supporting assemblage
 (enzymes and cofactors)
 Amenable contaminant - physical and chemical state
 contact between MO and contaminant
 environment - Temp, pH, Oxygen, Nutrients
 limiting substances, ionic strength.
 relative proportions of components

 Bioconversion
 Removal
 Inactivation
Microbial Processes and Influences
 Biodegradation
 Bioconversion
 Incomplete biodegradation
 degrading organisms and supporting assemblage
• (enzymes and cofactors)
 Amenable contaminant - physical and chemical state
 contact between MO and contaminant
 environment - Temp, pH, Oxygen, Nutrients
 limiting substances, ionic strength.
 relative proportions of components

 Removal
 Inactivation
Microbial Processes and Influences
 Biodegradation
 Bioconversion
 Removal
 adsorption, attachment, incorporation and
deposition or separation (specific or non-
specific)
 Inactivation
 Degradation, starvation, stress,
Biological wastewater treatment and
processes directed at biological components
 Eg
 Activated sludge
 Fixed growth reactor
 Suspended media reactor
 Aerated ditch
 Oxidation pond
 Constructed wetland
 Anaerobic digestion

 Eg disinfection
 Oxidation ponds
Typical treatment train
Inflow
Remove solids and fats
Settlement

Reduce carbon and nutrients

Biological treatment

Remove biological solids

Clarification

Reduce
Disinfection pathogens

Discharge
 Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant current

Screening odor Earth Filter

Primary Settling Activated sludge

clarification
Sludge

CH4 gas Anaerobic

Disinfection:
Digester
Anthracite filter and UV

Effluent
Landfill Dewatering Discharge
Mangere Wastewater treatment plant:
Activated sludge Reactors/Clarifier
Activated sludge Reactors/Clarifier
 Objective:
 Reduce solids, BOD, COD, Nitrogen, fats and oils in
liquid flow
 Mechanism:
 Enhancement of microbial activity to induce floc
formation and settlement and remove contaminants to
sludge
biodegradation
 POC+ DOC+N Biomass

 Sorption of other contaminant eg metals, HC

 Stirring and aeration

 Microbiological players
 bacteria community dominated by facultative
organotrophic bacteria.
 eg Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium Achromobacter,
Micrococcus, Bacillus, Acinetobacter
 Filementous bacteria eg Nocardia, Zooglea, Thiothrix,
Nostocoida, Microthrix, Sphearotilus
 yeasts and moulds to a lesser extent
 Protozoa, rotifers. worms
 Extracellular polymer linkers forming flocs of settlable
density
Sludge treatment – biogas production
Nitrogen removal
 Why remove nitrogen?
 Where does nitrogen come from?
 What is the form of nitrogen in wastewater?
 Classical N cycle

Ahn Y-H. Process Biochem 42 2006 p 1709 - 1721

 Nitrogen removal
 N = approx 12% of cell mass

 N mostly removed -through cell removal

 Nitrification - chemoautotrophic bacteria

 Slow growing 10 + days sludge age

 NH4+ + 2O2 NO3- + 2H+ +H2O

 Nitrosomonas, Arthrobacter, ?

 3NH4+ + 3O2 2NO2- + 4H+ +2H2O

 Nitrobacter, Arthrobacter?

 2NO - + O 2NO -
2 2 3
 Denitrification – eg Pseudomonads, Thiobacillus
denitrificans
 C H O + 4NO - 6CO2 + 6H2O + 2N2
6 12 6 3
 NO3- NO2 - NO N2O N2
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox)

Ahn Y-H. Process Biochem 42 2006 p 1709 - 1721

Anammox

 Anammox "anaerobic ammonium oxidation".

 The anammox reaction is :
NH4+ + NO2- = N2 + 2H2O + energy
 This reaction is carried out by a group of
planctomycete bacteria. Two of those have been
named provisionally: Candidatus "Brocadia
anammoxidans" and Candidatus "Kuenenia
stuttgartiensis".
 http://www.anammox.com/research.
 Hydrizine hydrolase

Nitrite reductase
Hydrazine dehydrogenase

Last updated: March 9, 2004

http://www.anammox.com/anammox_mechanism.html
Anommox Application
http://www.anammox.com/application.html

 wastewater streams high in ammonium (>0.2 g/l) and low

in organic carbon (C:N ratio lower than 0.15). The two
processes proceed as follows:
 partial nitrification
2NH4+ + 1.5O2=NH4+ + NO2- + H2O + 2H+
 anammox
NH4+ + NO2-=N2 + 2H2O
 total
2NH4+ + 1.5O2=N2 + 3H2O + 2H+

Requires: 50% less oxygen. May reduce operational costs by

90%,
decrease in CO2 emissions of more than 100%
 Nitrosomonas aerobic denitrification

Ahn Y-H. Process Biochem 42 2006 p 1709 - 1721

 Overall Nitrogen web

Ahn Y-H. Process Biochem 42 2006 p 1709 - 1721

What happens to Nitrogen at Mangere WTP
Assignment:
Mangere Complex adds NZ$1b to
Auckland City Economy.

The just completed upgrade of the Mangere Materials Complex adds the final
process to allow complete recovery of the materials from what was once
called wastewater. The wastewater also called sewage was collected at the
plant and partly treated before being tipped into the Manukau harbour. The
cost of this treatment both in $ terms and in environmental cost was in excess
on $50 m in 2010. Recovery of the resources that was once waste and the
industries linked to them are now worth over $1 b.

The most notable successes have been….

NZ Herald May 12 2025

 Assignment: the to do..
 Complete the next 10 paragraphs of the
Newspaper Article (5%)
 plus 2 page document in point form that
provides more information and some ideas
on the approach to reclamation of resources
(with references) (10%)
 Due date: Monday May 31st
 Submit to SRC by 4 pm
 Value 15% of final mark
Field Visit : Wednesday 19 May
 Mangere Wastewater treatment plant
 Leave outside SBS at 11.00 am sharp
 Closed in shoes – no Sandals or Jandals
 Objectives
 To understand the treatment process
 To identify the strengths and weaknesses of the process and the
main constraints on treatment and disposal of waste
 Identify the pressures on the process to perform effectively
 Identify areas where there is opportunity for improvement or
benefit.

 Own Transport?
 Older reviews:
 Ahn Y-H Sustainable nitrogen elimination biotechnologies: A Review. Process Biochemistry 41, 2006, 1709 - 1721
 Mendoza-Espinosa, Leopoldo Stephenson, Tom. A review of biological aerated filters (BAFs) for wastewater
treatment Environmental Engineering Science. 16(3). 1999. 201-216.
 Stratful, I.; Brett, S. Scrimshaw, M. B.; Lester, J. N.. Biological phosphorus removal, its role in phosphorus recycling
Environmental Technology. 20(7). July, 1999. 681-695.
 Grady, C. P. L., Jr. Filipe, C. D. M. . Ecological engineering of bioreactors for wastewater treatment Water, Air, &
Soil Pollution. 123(1-4). October, 2000. 117-132
 de-Bashan, Luz E.; Bashan, Yoav Recent advances in removing phosphorus from wastewater and its future use as
fertilizer (1997-2003) Water Research. 38(19). November 2004. 4222-4246.
 Mallick, Nirupama. Biotechnological potential of immobilized algae for wastewater N, P and metal removal: A
review. BioMetals. 15(4). December 2002. 377-390.
 Low, Euan W.; Chase, Howard A.. Reducing production of excess biomass during wastewater treatment Water
Research. 33(5). April, 1999. 1119-1132.
 Aksu, Zumriye. Application of biosorption for the removal of organic pollutants: A review Process Biochemistry.
40(3-4). March 2005. 997-1026.
 Lazarova, V. ; Savoye, P. Janex, M. L.; Blatchley, E. R., III Pommepuy, M. [Author]. Advanced wastewater
disinfection technologies: State of the art and perspectives Water Science & Technology. 40(4-5). Aug.-Sept., 1999.
203-213.
 Chuichulcherm, S.. An integrated system for the bioremediation of wastewater containing xenobiotics and toxic
metals Engineering in Life Sciences. 4(4). August 2004. 354-357.

 Books that contain helpful sections ( not on close reserve)

 Fry et al : 1992 Microbial control of pollution: Society for General Microbiology.
 Gray NF 2004 :Biology of wastewater treatment 2nd ed. Imperial College Press, London.
 Gerardi M and Zimmerman M :2004 Wastewater Pathogens: Electronic reproduction Somerset, New Jersey : Wiley
InterScience, [electronic resource]
Suggested Reading
 Ekama George A [a]; Wentzel Mark C [a]. Difficulties and
developments in biological nutrient removal technology and
modelling. Water Science & Technology. 39(6). March, 1999. 1-11.
( try via science direct)
 Fuerhacker M; Bauer H; Ellinger R; Sree U; Schmid H; Zibuschka F;
Puxbaum H. Approach for a novel control strategy for simultaneous
nitrification/denitrification in activated sludge reactors. Water
Research. 34(9). June, 2000. 2499-2506
 Strous Marc; Van Gerven Eric; Zheng Ping; Kuenen J Gijs; Jetten
Mike S M [a]. Ammonium removal from concentrated waste streams
with the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process in
different reactor configurations. Water Research. 31(8). 1997.
1955-1962
 Krumins Valdis; Hummerick Mary; Levine Lanfang; Strayer Richard;
Adams Jennifer L; Bauer Jan. Effect of hydraulic retention time on
inorganic nutrient recovery and biodegradable organics removal in a
biofilm reactor treating plant biomass leachate. Bioresource
Technology 85. December, 2002. 243-248.