Microbial Formation on Different Biomedia Surface for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Even though commercial plastic media such as Cosmoball successfully treated municipal wastewater without clogging, its inadequate surface area prevents its use for high biofilm growth rates. This study compares microbial formation on the activated carbon (AC)-coated and non-coated Cosmoball media by submerging four activated carbon AC-coated Cosmo balls and non-coated Cosmo balls in five-liter beakers containing municipal wastewater. The researchers then analyzed the surface morphology of the biofilms on the coated and non-coated surfaces and applied the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to the ecology of microbial-mediated processes. By Day 11, the AC-coated media showed a biofilm coverage of 95%, whereas the non-coated media had a biofilm coverage of about 70%. The research has demonstrated that the coated media has a four times higher surface area, thus saving as much as 50% of the aeration tank volume.