Application:
• Use of biofilms in trickle filter beds for sewage treatment
Sewage is the fluid waste of human communities and is rich in organic matter that can be broken down by microorganisms
- Solids are anaerobically digested by saprotrophic microorganisms, while liquid effluent is cleaned by aerobic metabolism
The aerobic conditions required for the saprotrophic decomposition of liquid effluent can be maintained by trickle filter beds
- Trickling filter systems continually recirculate the effluent by spraying it over a bed of stones to maintain dissolved O2 levels
- A biofilm of saprotrophic bacteria is situated in the stone bed and feed on the organic matter within the sewage
- Clean water filters out the bottom into another tank, whereby bacteria are removed and water is further treated (chlorination)
Sewage Treatment – Trickle Filter Beds
