Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
13~05 ~ ~1 17: 23 FA~ 0272 22~00~ SHP E)RISTOL b~l00~/02
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wastewater treatment plants have been built
all over the world for the purpose of removing
organic, nitrogen and phosphorus containing wastes
present in municipal wastewater as well as those
5 produced by industrial operations or a combination of
both. These treatment plants rely primarily upon
biological aetivity for the remov~l and stabilisation
of these wastes. Collection of the products of the
biological activit~ in the treatment plants is
AcComplish~d through phy~ic~l technl~ues llke
sedimentation or al~ flotation,
It has been assumed or years that the
appropxiate varieties and numbers of the
microorganisms needed for the processing of the
wastewater by these treatment plants have been
provided by those microorganisms present in the
was.ewater entering the plants. Information to the
contrary has been reported in several publications and
at inte~national meetings during the last few ye~s.
In f~ct, reports of bacterial seeding of the treatment
plants have lead to Conclusions of improved removal
officiencies for organic and nitxogeno~s waste,
increased hydraulic and organic loading capabilities
and decreased costs of operation with respect to the
aeration required or the biological solids produced
wlthin th~ wastew~ter treatment plants. Not only h~
there been a direct correlation between the seeding of
the treatment plants with various bact~ria and changes
in the !function of the plants, e.g. improved removal
3 ef~iciency, decre~Sed energy need andtor decreased
biological solids tsludge) production, but the need
for continuou~ seeding has been demonstrated throu~h
: ';he termination of seeding with bacteria and the
observa~ion that the changes in function noted during
seeding regxess to levels prior to seedlng.
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Observations like ~hese lead to a kinetic model in
which there iq a dynamic relationship between the
microorganisms en~ering the plant, those growing and
dying within the plant, and those leaving the plant.
Apparently the fate of various bacterial forms is that
unless replenished on ~ continuous basis, they are
lost in sufficient numbers to affect the performance
of the plant~ There are only several possible ways
that bacteria may be lost fxom a wastewater treatment
plant once they have entered it~ proc95ses and begun
growing. They may be starved by competitlon with
other bacteria, eaten b~ the myriad o animal forms
present in the biomass (a group of microorganisms
functioning together) of the process, or be washed out
with the effluent water after the treatment syst~ms
ar~ completed~ Obviously, some or all of these loss
mechanisms may be operating at ~he same time.
These considerations build ~ picture of the
function of wastewater treat~ent facilities as a
~ dynamic system in which it is rare or steady state
~onditions to exist or p~rsist, Instead, there is a
constantly changing biomass population regulated by
the varieties of food and microorganisms present in
the influent to the plant and the growth and retention
capabilities of the plant itsel with respect to those
microorganisms that are present in this biomass.
rhe presant invention provides a method for
insuring ~hat the biomass within the treatment
processes is optimised by the production and
continuous feed of efective mic~oorganisms,
especially bacteria, that are capable of proliferating
within the processes o wast~water treatment
fa~ilities ~or the purpose of improved biolo~ical
performance and/or reduction of the cost o~ th~ir
operation,
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According to the invention there is provided a
method of t~eatin~ wastewater in ~ treatment plant
which consists of taking a quantity o4 the effluent
water fro~ the plant before disinfection, using the
microbiological or bacterial organisms in that
quan~ity of effluent to seed growth of o~ganisms in a
growth tank and supplying organisms ~or wastewater
txeatment from the gxowth tank to the plant. ~h~
organisms fxom the ~rowth tank are suppliQd to the
influent of the plant.
A p~ocess O~ 5ubstxate induced recognition may
be used to enhance and program the eect of the
organisms, the growth tank being fed ~with
predetermined particular organic materials and~or
industrial products as the organisms grow. The
organic materiàls and/or industrial products may be
particulate.
Preferably the volume of organism containing
water f ed back ~rom the growth tank each day to the
plant is between l and 20 parts per million o~ the
daily flow of the plant. T~pically, the proportion
may be betwaen S and lO parts per million per day.
It is prefsrrod that the growth tank is
provlded with su~tably ~ormula~ed food for the
organisms and is aerated. The growth tank may be
provided with supplementary micro-organisms.
It is possible in accordance with a feature of
the invention to provide that organisms derived from
the plant s~e ~rown in a plu~ality of growth tanks
under the same or differing conditions o4 ambience
and/or food and/or preconditioning, and the products
o~ the growth tanks a~e use~ individually or in
prodetermined combinations to provide specif ic system
improvements or amelioration of conditions in the
wi~tewater ~reatment plant.
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Reference will hereinafter by made to the
accompanying drawing, o which the sole figure is a
schematic block diagram of a wastewater treatment
plant.
In the drawing, the ~ollowing legends apply:
A - Pximary 5edimentation Tank
B - Aeration Tan~ or Rota~ing Biological
Contactor or Trickling Pilter
c - Secondary Sedi~entation Tank
D - Anaerobic Digester
E - Chlorine Contact Tank
F - Return Activated Sludge
G - Waste Activated sludge
H - ~rimary Sludge
igested 51udge
J - In~luent Wastewater
K - Effluent Wastewater
~1 - First Growth Tank
~ L2 - Second Growth ~ank
L3 - Third ~rowth Tank
Because of the design o~ wastewater treatment
plants, maintenance of the biological forms growing
- within its prooesses are provided through recycle
:: Z5 systemS like returning the concePtrated sedimented
solids, commonly referred to as "Return Activated
Sludge (RAS)". S~ch systems rely on the idea that all
the biological for~s. including bacteria, will be
concentrated during sedimentation. BiologiCal forms
that are not concentrated are lost with the ef1uent
or discharge wastewater. Even in the cases of fixed
~` film type wastewater treatment plants te.g. txickling
:filte~s ~and rotating bioloyical contactor~). those
~ microorganisms that do not adhere or are not trapped
.~`." 35 within the biologioal film performing the t~eatment
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are lost from the plant with its discharge wastewater.
Using the discharge wastewâter itself as a method of
reseeding is not feasible because of the constraint of
hydraulics and the need for reasonable contact times
5 for the microorganisms to perform the cleaning
fun~tion on the influent wastewater for which the
plant is i~ended.
If, however, the discharge or effluent
wastewater is used to provlde this microbiological or
bacterial seed, a sui~ably-sized growth tank can then
be used to produce the mlcroo~ganisms whi~h are then
ed bac~ to the point at which ~he influent enters the
treatment plant ~figure l point J ), the problem of
loss of groups or species of microorganisms and
bacteria can be eliminated without int~oducing large
volumes of wa~tewater back into the wastew~ter
treatment plant itself. This system is effective 'n
preventing the loss of those microorganisms not
amenable to sedimentation concentration and return
through the conv~ntional methods in practice now
th~ougho~t the wastewater industxy.
The system just discussed provides a means for
preventing the loss of microbiological and bacterial
forms already growing and proliferating within the
treatment plant. It does not, however, provide for
the lntroduction of microbiological or bacterial forms
that may not be prese~t either in the proce5ses of the
treatment plant or in the influent feeding the
treatment plant. By seeding a growth tank Ll used to
grow those microorganisms and bacteria found in the
dixcharge wastewater with Boil microorganisms,
bacteria found in nat~ral sources ~e.g. rich humus and
topsoil), as well as, commercially available
preparations, a great variety o microorganisms and a
potential seed culture can be d~eloped. This will
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provide the broadest range of biological activity
specific to the needs and acclimated for the efficient
effective and cost savin~ management of the wastewater
tr~atment plant regardless of its location, function,
or source of in1uent wastewater. This system will be
least susc~ptibl~ to modulation and p~rturbation
provided by large incursions of organic and hydraulic
loading. It will also be insensitive to changes
r~sulting from selective pressures from other types of
microorganis~s and losses o micxoorganisms due to
conditions within the wast~wate~ t~eatment ~lAnt and
the na~ural fate of the bacteria not concentrated by
the standard physical and biological processes within
the operation of the treAtment plant itself.
: 15 Recognising that many t~eatment plants have
influents that contain higher than normal levels of
particular ~perhaps paxti~ulate) organic material like
: gr~ase, for example, and/or a product contained in an
: industriAl di~aharge that may enter the plant
~ 20 intermittently and/or at a ~el~tively high
;~ :concentration, it would be a significant advantage to
pre-condition the microor~anisms and bacteria which
are fed to the functional proc~sses of the wastewater
treatment plant to be able bet~er to grow on and
metabolise these materials present in the influent to
the plant at the greatest rate possible both upon the
initial adaition of the microorganisms and basteria
and during ~heir function in the operating procssses
` I 0~ theiplant like the aeration tan~. A process that
could be incorporated into the growth system described
below which wo~ld provide initial recognition to the
--bacteria of the paxticular organic material and/or the
industrial product before they en~ex the treatment
plant is called "Subs~xate Induced RecognitiQn" (SIR)
and involves a method o adding a particular organic
~03~;~9~
materlal and/or the industrial product found in the
influent o~ a similar compound to the growth media for
the microorga-nisms and ~acteria thems~lves, described
belo~, at an appropriate level or concentration
suffi-ient to allow for growth of the microorganisms
~n~ bacteria on the compound or substrate~ For
example in the case o grease, usiny a liq~id edible
oil, like olive oil, or in the case of the presence of
hydrocarbons using 2 uel oil, ~or example, to
indu~e growth of microorg~nisms and bacteria on these
substrates or food would provide the functional parts
o~ the treatment plant with microorganisms and
bac~eria that are already act~vely growing on
materi~ls similar or identical to the compounds in the
influent to the plant. An example of the method for
the addition of such a ~ompound which will p~ovide for
Su~strate Induced Recognition (SI~) is 0.05~ (0.5
grams per liter) olive oil added to the growth and
conditioning media specified below.
"Substxate Induced Recognition" (SIR) provides
for significant enhancement and/or increase in the
capabillty of the microorganisms and bacteria to
recognise and accelerate the rate of utilisation
(met~bolism) of the specific waste materi~ls related
to the substrate present in the influent.
Induction is the process by which a compound
initiates the synthe5is of enzymes within the
microorga~ism which pro~ides the cell with the
: capability to identify and metabolise more quickly the
3 compo~nd which caused the indu~tion to oc~ur, as well
'~ ~s, chemically similar materials. This causes an
~ncrease in the efficiency and the rate of removal of
the material in question by the ~ost rapid utilisation
of oxyg~n or the oxidation of the compounds in
question in the aeration tank.
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~n example of the actual technique for the
introduction of the microorganisms and bacteria grown
in the system described in -the invention is as
follows:
M~THOP
_ _
For example:
An amount of five (5) to ten (l0) volumes, for
ex~mple, of microorganisms and bacteria for each one
million (l06~ volumes of incoming wastewatex per day
should be introduced by feeding once or perhaps twice
per day depending upon the duration of the treatmen~
syqtem provid~d by th~ wastewater treatment plant.
For example, a growth and feeding sy~tem of one
hundred (l~0) to two hundred (200) liters in volume
would be sufficient to provide the microbiolo~ical and
bacterial seed for a treatment plant having an average
hydraulic flow of twenty million ~20 x io6) liters of
influent p~r day.
The actual sequ~nce of pr~paration, growth and
Addition of the resulting seed culture for the type
system discussed above is as follows~
1) T~ two hundred (200) liters of treatm~nt
plant effluent ~prior to any disinfection)
and~
a) inorgani~ media composed o~ salts, for
example:
-0.l4 Ammonium chloride or sulfate
-0.1% Disodium or dipotassium phosphats
-0.05~ Epsom salts (magnesium sul~ate)
bl organic media composed of nutrients,
for example~
-0.l~ so~ium or potassium salt of a short
chain fatty acid like acetate, propionate,
laetate or ~utyrate.
-0.l~ pepton~, tryptone or yeast extract.
.
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~ zoJ~l00 ~O~SI~ d~S 600~ZZ ZLZ0 X~ 8Z:LT l~. S0~SI
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c) Soil inoculum or other 50il bacteri~l
source including commercial preparations,
30 grammes to 1/2 kilogram in quantity.
~) Upon additi~n of the above ingredients,
begin aeration of the growth tank Ll containing the
entire contents of the system. Aeration can be
provided by a diFfused air system employing 0.006 to
0,015 cubic meters per minut~ which is ample for the
two hundred (~00) liter tank.
3) Aeration should ~e cont~nued for an
appropriate period o~ time. The content~ o4 the tank
sho~ld then be added to the appropriate section of the
wast~wa~er treat~en~ facility. This addl~lon may ~g
made so one half the volu~e of the tank is added to
the appropriate section of the treatment plant at
predetermined intervals (e.g. twelve hours).
APPL~CATIONS
There are several possible applications for
whlch the microbiological and bacterial s~ed culture
developed during the growth phase discussed above may
be used. Each of these applications will require a -
separate s~t o~ conditions, application points and
evaluations to be performed. Possible applications
include:
A) ~nhanced Treatment ~ e . g . improved removal
efficiency o~ biochemical oxygen demand EBOD~ and
suspended solids [SS]: The seed culture shoula be
added to the point at which the influent enters the
plant (figure 1 point J) or to the secondary process
~e.g. the aeration tank [figure 1 point B].
) Increased Hydraulic or Organic ~oading
Capability: The seed culture should be ~dded to the
point at which the influent enters the plant (figure 1
point J~. ~
C) Decreased Production or Generation of
:.
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~iological Solids (Sludge): The seed culture should be
added to the point in the plant at which the solids
are at their highest concentration (e.g. the return
sludge line [fig~re 1 point ~]. It can also be added
5 to the primary clarifier or the point at which the
influent enters the plant ~figure 1 point J) if
proce;sing of the primary solids is a concern and
solid~ from the primary olarifier and the ~econdary
sys~em do not mix or com~ into conta~t within a flow-
through section of the plant.
D) Grease And Soum Control: The ~eed culture
should be added to the point at which the influent
enters the plant (figure 1 point J) or upline in the
sewer system as far as p~actici~l. In some cases it
5 may be appropriate to grow the seed culture at a :~
location other than ths plant and in~ect it directly
into the sewer.
` ~) Nitrification, DenitriflcatiOn and Nutrient : ::
Remov~l: Seed cultures for each of these ~ro~esses may
be developed using the same physical equipment as
previo~sly indicated, but using different growth tanks
Ll, L2, L3 etc. ~he nutrient mixture for these seed
cult~res i9 different and must be used in conjunction
with the process d~scribed in A) above - "~nhanced -~ `
Treatment". T.hus a mixture of the bactexial seed
prepared for "Enhanced Treatment" and a mixture of the
:bac~erial seed prepared for "Nitrificatlon" must be `~
added to the point at which the influent enters the
plant (figuxe 1 point J~ to provide for signiicant
3 ammonia removal within the wastewater treatment plant,
. nitrification.
The growth media for the seed culture used for
providing or enhancing nitrification must not contain
organic material. An ex.ample of such a growth
35 solution is a5 ~ollo~s:
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20363~92
ino~ganic media composed of salts, for
example:
O.05~ ammonium chloride or ~ulfate
0.05~ disodium or dipotassium phosphate
0.01~ Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate)
0.1% llmestone ox chalk particles nutrient
~ixture composed of, for example:
0.1% soda ash or bicarbonate of soda.
~uring growth, the solution in which the qeea
culture is growing will become ~cidified, that is,
will dxop in pH. Thi5 ig corrected by the addition of
measure~ quantities of any basic inor~anic solution
(e.g. ammonium hydroxide, which is pr~f0rre~) to
maintain ths pH of the growing seed ~ulture between pH
7 and 8 and provide addi.ional growth nutriants.
Addition of this culture may be made in conjunction
with the seed oult~re for "Enhanced Treatment".
~ ) Plant Stability ox Recovery from a
Hydraulic 5hock or Organic Shock Load: ~his condition
m~y also be produced ~rom large 1uctuations in pH,
temperature, or inor~anic solute concentr~tion. The
seed ~lture should be added to the point at which the
influe~t enters the plant ~figure 1 point J). The
addition of the seed culture should be maintained
~5 through suspected loading problems since the seed
culture will not have e~perienoed contact with the
shock load. Because the existing baomass ~eases to
g,row and met~olise for a period of time when it
` experiences conditional shock, having ~icroorganisms
available to grow and ~eprod~e im~ediately upon entry
into the plan~ is the key to recovery from a shock.
G) Competition with ~oisome Organisms (e.g.
i .
`~ ~ Fllamentous Bact~ria): A group or type of
microor~anisms will pxedominate in a system be~ause
-~ 35 ~hey find a favourable environment ~nd possess the
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~Z0~l0~ ~0~SI~ dHS ~o0~ZZ ZLZ0 X~ 0C:LI 1~ C0~l
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capacity to out~row other existing biological forms,
By imposing a continuous seed of rapidly growing and
biochemically diverse ~icroorgani~ms on the processes
o~ the wastewater treatme~t plant, the opportunity or
a single type of bacteria or microorganism to
predominate or proliferate is minimised. The addition
o~ the seed culture to the point at which the inf luent
enters the plant (figure l point J) will control, as
much as is biologically possible, the predominance o~
noisoms o~anisms (e~g. filamentous bacteria).
Each of the applications of the ~eed culture
descri~ed in A-G above will provide microorganisms
which can proliferate in the various functional parts
of the wastewater treatment plant. Dixect
determinations of the bacterial numbers in the
txe~tment plant are possible using simple
microbiological techniques like dilRtion plating using
agar media to enumerate the bacteria p~esent. It is a
useful endeavour to perform these types of analyses in
order to be convinced of the effect of introducing
microbiological seed cultures into the ~astewater - ~:
treatment plant and to co~xelate the result produced
on the treat~ent plant with a change in the number and
diversity o~ the microbiological and bacterial flora
within the ~reatment system under evaluation. ~n this
way the quantity and diversity o the microorganisms
within the treatment plant processes may be obser~ed
dire~tly. The actual determinations o the bac~erial
numbers and techniques for preparation of the
analytical systems, like the use of petri dishes, for
those determinations discussed within the ~e~t go
, beyond the scope o~ this invention.
~zo/ozo0 ~O~SI~ dHS ~OO~ZZ ZLZ0 X~ IC:LI l~ C0
