WASTEWATER MICROBIOLOGY Third Edition WASTEWATER MICROBIOLOGY Third Edition GABRIEL BITTON Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION This book is printed on acid-free paper. W1 Copyright # 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. 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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Bitton, Gabriel. Wastewater microbiology / Gabriel Bitton. -- 3rd ed. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-471-65071-4 (cloth) 1. Sanitary microbiology. 2. Water--Microbiology. 3. Sewage--Microbiology. [DNLM: 1. Sewage--microbiology. 2. Water Microbiology. 3. Safety Management. 4. Water Purification--methods. QW 80 B624w 2005] I. Title. QR48.B53 2005 628.30010579--dc22 2004019935 Printed in the United States of America 10987654321 to Julie and Natalie CONTENTS Preface ix Preface to the First Edition xi Preface to the Second Edition xiii PART A. FUNDAMENTALS OF MICROBIOLOGY 1 1. The Microbial World 3 2. Microbial Metabolism and Growth 45 3. Role of Microorganisms in Biogeochemical Cycles 75 PART B. PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGY 107 4. Pathogens and Parasites in Domestic Wastewater 109 5. Microbial Indicators of Fecal Contamination 153 6. Water and Wastewater Disinfection 173 PART C. MICROBIOLOGY OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT 211 7. Introduction to Wastewater Treatment 213 8. Activated Sludge Process 225 9. Bulking and Foaming in Activated Sludge Plants 259 10. Processes Based on Attached Microbial Growth 291 11. Waste Stabilization Ponds 307 12. Sludge Microbiology 321 13. Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater and Biosolids 345 14. Biological aerosols and Bioodors from Wastewater Treatment Plants 371 PART D. MICROBIOLOGY OF DRINKING WATER TREATMENT 395 15. Microbiological Aspects of Drinking Water Treatment 397 16. Microbiological Aspects of Drinking Water Distribution 419 17. Bioterrorism and Drinking Water Safety 457 PART E. BIOTECHNOLOGY IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT 471 18. Pollution Control Biotechnology 473 vii viii CONTENTS PART F. FATE AND TOXICITY OF CHEMICALS IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS 499 19. Fate of Xenobiotics and Toxic Metals in Wastewater Treatment Plants 501 20. Toxicity Testing in Wastewater Treatment Plants Using Microorganisms 527 PART G. MICROBIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECTS OF WASTEWATER EFFLUENTS AND BIOSOLIDS DISPOSAL AND REUSE 545 21. Public Health Aspects of Wastewater and Biosolids Disposal on Land 547 22. Public Health Aspects of Wastewater and Biosolids Disposal in the Marine Environment 573 23. Wastewater Reuse 589 References 609 Index 729 PREFACE I would like to mention some of the changes and additions that have been included in the third edition of Wastewater Microbiology. In general, every chapter of the book has been revised (up to July 2004) to include the latest developments in the field, and I will highlight only the major ones. A review of the most important molecular techniques has been added to Chapter 1, while the most recent methodology for measuring microbial biomass in environmental samples is described in Chapter 2. New developments in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) are covered in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 covers new findings on old and emer- ging (e.g., Helicobacter pylori, Cyclospora, Microsporidia) microbial pathogens and para- sites. Much progress has been made concerning the detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in environmental samples, including wastewater. The improved methodology is also covered in Chapter 4. As regards disinfection of water and wastewater, research efforts are now focusing on UV disinfection in industrialized countries and on the use of solar radiation in developing countries (Chapter 6). Armed with new molecular tools and microsensor/microelectrode technology, investi- gators are making progress in understanding the microbial ecology and the surface prop- erties of activated sludge flocs. The methodology used is similar to that used in biofilms. These advances will help us to better understand the flocculation process in activated sludge (Chapter 8). Concerning bulking and foaming in activated sludge plants, most of the recent studies have focused on the characterization and phylogeny of filamentous microorganisms (Chapter 9). In the last few years we have witnessed an increased interest in biofilm microbiology. Biofilms develop on biological and nonbiological surfaces and are ubiquitous in natural aquatic environments and engineered systems (e.g., fixed-film bioreactors). Their ben- eficial role in fixed-film bioreactors has been known for years (chapter 10). However, the impact of biofilms on drinking water distribution systems has been the subject of increased research activity around the world (chapter 16). This interest is further heigh- tened by the findings that biofilms are the source of medical problems such as dental plaques or colonization of artificial implants, leading to increased rate of infection in patients. The discovery of communication among members of the biofilm community (i.e., quorum sensing using signaling chemicals such as homoserine lactones) may lead to potential means of controlling biofouling of surfaces. ix x PREFACE Chapter 13 shows that new procedures, particularly molecular techniques, have helped shed light on the phylogeny of methanogens and other Archaea. Part D (Microbiology of Drinking Water Treatment) of the third edition now comprises three chapters instead of two as in the second edition. The third chapter (Chapter 17) intro- duces the reader to bioterrorism microbial agents and their potential impact on drinking water safety. In Chapter 18 (Biotechnology of Waste Treatment: Pollution Control Biotechnology), I have added some information about membrane bioreactors (MBR technology), while in Chapter 21, new developments in the area of bioremediation have been included. Finally, in Chapter 23 (Wastewater Reuse), I have made an attempt to introduce the reader to the microbiological aspects of the treatment of wastewater effluents by natural and constructed wetlands and by the use of attached