article · Civil Engineering Journal
Untreated domestic wastewater poses serious environmental risks, but standard treatment facilities are frequently too expensive to build and operate for resource-constrained regions. An outdoor pilot-scale hybrid system combining microalgae and bacteria was evaluated over five months to provide an efficient, low-cost bioremediation alternative. Operating with an eight-hour hydraulic retention time using rotating algae contactors, the system demonstrated strong pollutant elimination. Average removal efficiencies reached 90.73 percent for biochemical oxygen demand, 89.10 percent for chemical oxygen demand, and 93.45 percent for total suspended solids. Furthermore, the process removed 77.05 percent of ammonia nitrogen and 70.40 percent of total nitrogen, keeping treated effluent within both local and international discharge thresholds. Requiring eighty percent less electricity than conventional wastewater infrastructure, the system presents an effective, low-maintenance treatment option for decentralised installations.
Conventional wastewater infrastructure is often economically unviable for smaller populations due to heavy energy and operational demands. By relying on biological cooperation between algae and bacteria, this approach cuts energy consumption by eighty percent while meeting strict discharge standards. It provides a practical, lower-cost method to clean wastewater, reduce environmental contamination, and protect freshwater resources in smaller settlements.
Having demonstrated performance at outdoor pilot scale, this technology represents an applied and tested solution for decentralised domestic sewage treatment. Potential users include municipal utilities, rural local councils, and private housing developments handling discharges up to 5000 cubic metres per day. Commercial viability is supported by low maintenance needs and an 80 percent reduction in electricity costs compared to conventional plants, though further operational scaling may be required for broader deployment.
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Synergistic cooperation and interaction between algae and bacteria had made it easy by using one single step only to efficiently eliminate the impurities found in wastewater. High pollution levels triggered by the disposal of untreated wastewater and the harsh social and economic conditions, together with high construction and operation costs of conventional wastewater treatment systems, made it vital to find simple, efficient, cost-effective treatment systems. In this research work, a hybrid microalgae-bacteria pilot outdoor system comprised of a series of Algaewheel® rotating algae contactors (RACs) that receive preliminary treated domestic wastewater at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 hours was monitored for a period of 5 months. An average dissolved oxygen (DO) value of 3.04 ± 1.02 mgL⁻¹ was obtained in the effluent-treated wastewater. While the average removal efficiencies recorded for the parameters monitored were 90.73% for BOD5, 89.10% for COD, 93.45% for TSS, 77.05% for NH3-N, and 70.40% for TN. All the effluent values for the parameters monitored were below the limits of both the local and international standards. The pilot system was found to be suitable and adaptable for small communities with low discharges of 5000 m³/day or less due to its low operation and maintenance requirements, as its electricity consumption is 80% less compared with the conventional wastewater treatment systems. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2024-010-11-09 Full Text: PDF
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DOI: 10.28991/cej-2024-010-11-09
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