Bicol University

College of Engineering
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Application of Biofilm Technology in Wastewater Treatment: A Critique

Paper
Lorenz E. Borromeo | BSChE 5
December 1, 2016

I.

Introduction

Water is a basic necessity, but its availability for human use is hardly about 1%. Current global
water crises are due to a rapid increase in population, climatic variation, environmental pollution,
urbanization, industrialization and contamination of existing water reservoirs. The quality of freshwater in
rivers and streams is affected because much of the wastage is discharged without prior treatment from
industries, municipal sewers and agricultural areas. The quality of groundwater is declining due to
unprocessed sewage containing domestic waste along with human and animal excretion products,
leading to worldwide deaths and other environmental factors, including biodiversity reduction and an
increasing number of water-related infections, among others. According to WHO, approximately 30% of
all diseases and 40% of deaths throughout the world are due to polluted water. Thus improvements in the
treatment of wastewater are the most urgent international dialogues as these technologies have the ability
to transform the lives of millions of people, especially in developing countries.
Wastewater treatment is a process used to convert wastewater - which is water no longer needed
or suitable for its most recent use - into an effluent that can be either returned to the water cycle with
minimal environmental issues or reused to ensure the protection of public health and the environment. As
the technology progresses, several methods or techniques are already being applied to process
wastewater. One of the new techniques is the incorporation of biofilm technology for the treatment of
wastewater.
II.

Mechanisms of Biofilm Formation

A biofilm is any group of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often these cells
adhere to a surface. These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of
extracellular polymeric substance. According to Watnick and Kolter, the formation of the biofilm is divided
into 3 stages;
1. Searching for the most adaptable environment
Microorganisms find a distinct setting where they can survive. Factors might be the pH,
temperature in the environment or any other that suites their needs for survival.
2. Formation of stable attachment and microcolony
Once the microorganism have already adapted to the controlled environment, they will start to
reproduce or aggregate on the surface and build a minute colony of bacteria growing under
suboptimal conditions.

3. Biofilm establishment
III.
Applications of Biofilm Technology in Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater treatment entails cost to the company. So a balance of efficiency over economy is a must
in deciding as to what type of treatment method is suitable to effectively eliminate or at the very least,
reduce the pollutants in the wastewater. On this matter, investing more on a biological treatment method
is well appreciated because of its high efficiency without entailing too much cost. Hence, some
advantages of employing the biofilm technology are the following:
1. Microorganisms that are attached in the biofilms possess high degree of survival because of the
protection of the matrices in which they are attached.
2. Microorganisms in the biofilm have the ability to decolorize and metabolize dyes because of the
internal cellular reactions occurring to help degrade the said pollutant.
3. Biofilm can have very long biomass residence times when treatment requires slow growing
organisms with poor biomass yield or when the concentration of wastewater is too low to sustain
growth of activated sludge flocs.
There are also downsides or limitations of using the said technology. The following are some of them:
1. Since the microcolony formation needs a long lag-phase for the biofilm formation, long start-up
times maybe employed.
2. Overgrowth of the microorganisms present in the matrix may occur.
3. Since overgrowth may take place, control of the film thickness is intricate.
4. Microorganisms in the matrix should receive uniform amount of nutrients in order to perform
efficiently without posing problems in the treatment. Thus, liquid distributors are essential to be
employed for uniform fluidization of the nutrients. Utilizing distributors are costly for large-scale
operations.
IV.

Evaluation

Wastewater treatment with biofilm systems has several advantages, including operational flexibility,
low space requirements, increased biomass residence time, as well as a slower microbial growth rate,
resulting in lower sludge production. However, handling microorganisms is not as easy as it looks like.
Several factors should still be considered when using biofilms in the treatment to achieve optimized
performance. Factors may include the following:
1. Nutrients- A nutrient-rich environment promotes the transition of these microorganisms to a
biofilm state, while depletion of these nutrients causes detachment of biofilm cells from surfaces.
2. pH- Any change in pH would greatly affect the growth and development of bacterial and biofilm
formation as it can overwhelm different mechanisms and have negative or killing effects on the
microorganisms.
3. Temperature- Microbial activities are very sensitive to change in temperature. Optimum
temperature results in healthy growth of bacterial populations, whereas a slight variation may
reduce bacterial growth efficiency.
4. Surface- During the initial stages of formation, surface roughness enhances the adhesion of
bacteria to substrates by providing more surface area for cell attachment. Surface roughness
reduces the force experienced by the bacterial cells and communities present in flowing liquids at
high flow rates.
5. Hydrodynamics- At high velocities, the film decreases in size since the cells are exposed to a high
turbulence level. Hydrodynamic conditions can influence the formation and structure of the film.
V.

Conclusion

Biofilm technology might be a great tool to further optimize the efficiency of the wastewater treatment
without delivering high cost to the company. Besides, it will primarily depend on the companys selection

and monetary budget as to what type of technology they will incorporate in processing their waste stream.
As presented in this paper, biofilm technology highlights important characteristics that would be of great
help to minimize dissolved pollutants in the wastewater. However, it is very intricate when it comes to
handling and operating this type of technology. This may entail additional cost if problems arise. An
engineer should always bear in his/her mind the main factors that would affect the process and should be
well-versed of the correct conditions to really attain the most optimum state.