Microbes in Sewage Treatment

Introduction

The microbes in sewage treatment break down the complex forms of biodegradable waste present in the sewage. The solid and liquid components of the sewage waste are divided into separate chambers in a sewage treatment mechanism, and they are decomposed and channelised for different purposes.

The sewage system essentially consists of undigested food, rainwater, water used for domestic purposes, and other discarded domestic substances treated in a sewage treatment mechanism to ensure that the harmful pathogens present in the sewage do not harm the environment.

The sewage treatment mechanism, also known as incinerator or landfill site, ensures that the solid waste from the sewage goes directly to the bottom of the tank to be further used as natural manure or fertilisers in agriculture.

Microbes Used in Sewage Treatment

The treatment and proper channelisation of sewage matter are essential for keeping water-borne diseases at bay. Waste matter or discards from humans can be a generic source of environmental pollution, leading to potentially harmful conditions.

This is where the microorganisms come into play. The microbes used in sewage treatment decompose the sewage matter into potentially less harmful substances, and it turns the solid waste from the sewage into natural manure for agriculture. 

So, the list of microorganisms and bacteria used in the treatment of sewage matter is endless. Still, there are essentially three categories of microbes that are mainly used in the treatment of sewage:

1. Anaerobic bacteria

The anaerobic form of bacteria is regularly used to treat sewage water. They are essentially used to produce methane from the slurry of waste substances and products.

Microbes in sewage treatment generally facilitate the production of substances or gases that can be put to better use in the future. Hence, in the case of anaerobic bacteria, methane production can be further utilised as a potential energy source. The anaerobic bacteria also help in removing phosphorus content from the sewage water.

1. Aerobic bacteria

The aerobic bacteria use oxygen from the sewage water to decompose toxic substances from the sewage, which they, later on, convert into energy for breeding. This process is carried out in an aerated environment.

The environment for the breeding of the aerobic bacteria has to be ideal for proper decomposition to facilitate. As they receive their primary food source, they tend to multiply and decompose the toxins.

1. Facilitative

The facilitative bacterias are accommodative of the environment they are bred in. For instance, they can shift between aerobic and anaerobic characteristics depending on the environment of the sewage treatment facility. 

But, it is also important to note that the facilitative bacteria prefer to stay in their aerobic form.

Bacteria Used in Sewage Treatment

The types of bacteria used in sewage treatment are dependent on the environment of the sewage treatment plant. The breeding ground for the bacterias that decompose the substances and matters of the sewage has to be ideal for the process to be carried out smoothly.

Also, the characteristics of sewage water play an important role in the decomposition of sewage matter. The types of bacterias used in sewage treatment are:

• Aerobic
• Anaerobic
• Facilitative 

Here’s a list of some of the common microbes in sewage treatment:

• Fungi
• Metazoa
• Protozoa
• Bacteria
• Algae
• Filamentous bacteria

Bacteria in sewage treatment

The presence of harmful bacterias in the sewage treatment facility can cause the following problems:

• Production of foam due to anaerobic bacterias in certain circumstances
• Poor sedimentation
• Poor efficiency of biogas production
• Overbreeding of filamentous bacteria
• Less efficiency in removal of nitrogen
• Spreading of unpleasant odour

In case the treatment facility experiences problems with the treatment of sewage water, the course of action to be taken can be first to change the settings of the incinerator or secondly to completely clear out the space of microorganisms in case the first option fails to prove efficient.

In case of failure of both the first and the second methods, the sewage treatment facility can be introduced with certain selective and pre-breed bacterias. These can manage the facilitation of proper decomposition of the sewage matter, and since they have the ideal breeding conditions, they can also replace the earlier bacterias of the facility.

Conclusion

Microbes in sewage treatment help facilitate the production of natural manure and bio-gases, which can be further used as energy sources. There are various microbes and bacteria in sewage treatment, but the main categories used in sewage treatment are aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria.

The breeding and decomposition of the microbes in a sewage treatment facility are regulated so that the liquid waste is essentially separated from the solid matter. On the one hand, where the liquid waste is utilised to produce methane, on the other hand, the solid waste is used to fertilise the agricultural fields.