Assessment of yeast biofilter in the treatment of domestic wastewater

Abstract

Wastewater samples were collected from three different points in Jimeta (Nigeria). The Physicochemical, as well as microbiological analysis of the wastewater was done before and after biofiltration process. The result revealed after the biofiltration process, the pH was slightly reduced and was around neutral ; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) , dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and the nitrate content of the wastewater were drastically reduced; elements such as magnesium (Mg), sodium(Na), potassium(K) and phosphorus(K), chloride (Cl), carbonate and bicarbonate values were also reduced. Similarly, there was a decrease in the types and number or count of microorganisms’ after the biofiltration process. The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia spp, Pseudomanas spp, Shigella spp, Salmonella spp, Bacillus cereus and the fungi Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillum spp, Aspergillus flavus were completely eliminated after the biofiltration process. This shows the health and environmental implications associated with discharging untreated domestic Wastewater into the environment, which indeed therefore there is a need to ensure adequate treatment facilities for domestic wastewater.