WASTEWATERMICROBIOLOGY
Third Edition
GABRIEL BITTONDepartment of Environmental Engineering Sciences
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION
Innodata0471717916.jpg
WASTEWATERMICROBIOLOGY
Third Edition
WASTEWATERMICROBIOLOGY
Third Edition
GABRIEL BITTONDepartment of Environmental Engineering Sciences
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION
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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--dc222004019935
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher
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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 32. Microbial Metabolism and Growth 453. Role of Microorganisms in Biogeochemical Cycles 75
PART B. PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGY 107
4. Pathogens and Parasites in Domestic Wastewater 1095. Microbial Indicators of Fecal Contamination 1536. Water and Wastewater Disinfection 173
PART C. MICROBIOLOGY OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT 211
7. Introduction to Wastewater Treatment 2138. Activated Sludge Process 2259. Bulking and Foaming in Activated Sludge Plants 259
10. Processes Based on Attached Microbial Growth 29111. Waste Stabilization Ponds 30712. Sludge Microbiology 32113. Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater and Biosolids 34514. Biological aerosols and Bioodors from Wastewater
Treatment Plants 371
PART D. MICROBIOLOGY OF DRINKING WATER TREATMENT 395
15. Microbiological Aspects of Drinking Water Treatment 39716. Microbiological Aspects of Drinking Water Distribution 41917. Bioterrorism and Drinking Water Safety 457
PART E. BIOTECHNOLOGY IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT 471
18. Pollution Control Biotechnology 473
vii
PART F. FATE AND TOXICITY OF CHEMICALS INWASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS 499
19. Fate of Xenobiotics and Toxic Metals in WastewaterTreatment Plants 501
20. Toxicity Testing in Wastewater Treatment Plants UsingMicroorganisms 527
PART G. MICROBIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECTS OFWASTEWATER EFFLUENTS AND BIOSOLIDSDISPOSAL AND REUSE 545
21. Public Health Aspects of Wastewater and Biosolids Disposalon Land 547
22. Public Health Aspects of Wastewater and Biosolids Disposalin the Marine Environment 573
23. Wastewater Reuse 589
References 609
Index 729
viii CONTENTS
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
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 algae for polishing wastewater
effluents.
Since the World Wide Web is increasingly becoming an integral part of the learning
process at education institutions, I have added some Web resources to each chapter of
the book to help students increase their knowledge or satisfy their curiosity about topics
discussed in a given chapter. I have also included questions at the end of each chapter.
These questions can help students in studying the material or can be used as homework.
I thank Jorge Gomez Moreno for drawing several of the new figures for the third edition
of this book. His attention to detail is much appreciated.
I am grateful to Nancy, Julie, Natalie, Jonathan, my entire family, and friends for their
love and moral support.
GABRIEL BITTON
Gainesville, Florida
x PREFACE
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
Numerous colleagues and friends have encouraged me to prepare a second edition of
Introduction to Environmental Virology, published by Wiley in 1980. Instead, I decided
to broaden the topic by writing a text about the role of all microorganisms in water and
wastewater treatment and the fate of pathogens and parasites in engineered systems.
In the 1960s, the major preoccupation of sanitary engineers was the development of
wastewater treatment processes. Since then, new research topics have emerged and
emphasis is increasingly placed on the biological treatment of hazardous wastes and the
detection and control of new pathogens. The field of wastewater microbiology has blos-
somed during the last two decades as new modern tools have been developed to study
the role of microorganisms in the treatment of water and wastewater. We have also wit-
nessed dramatic advances in the methodology for detection of pathogenic microorganisms
and parasites in environmental samples, including wastewater. New genetic probes and
monoclonal antibodies are being developed for the detection of pathogens and parasites
in water and wastewater. Environmental engineers and microbiologists are increasingly
interested in toxicity and the biodegradation of xenobiotics by aerobic and anaerobic bio-
logical processes in wastewater treatment plants. Their efforts will fortunately result in
effective means of controlling these chemicals. The essence of this book is an exploration
of the interface between engineering and microbiology, which will hopefully lead to
fruitful interactions between biologists and environmental engineers.
The book is divided into five main sections, which include fundamentals of micro-
biology, elements of public health microbiology, process microbiology, biotransform-
ations and toxic impact of chemicals in wastewater treatment plants, and the public
health aspects of the disposal of wastewater effluents and sludges on land and in the
marine environment. In the process microbiology section, each biological treatment
process is covered from both the process microbiology and public health viewpoints.
This book provides a useful introduction to students in environmental sciences and
environmental engineering programs and a source of information and references to
research workers and engineers in the areas of water and wastewater treatment. It
should serve as a reference book for practicing environmental engineers and scientists
and for public health microbiologists. It is hoped that this information will be a catalyst
for scientists and engineers concerned with the improvement of water and wastewater
treatment and with the quality of our environment.
I am very grateful to all my colleagues and friends who kindly provided me with illus-
trations for this book and who encouraged me to write Wastewater Microbiology. I will
always be indebted to them for their help, moral support, and good wishes. I am indebted
to my graduate students who have contributed to my interest and knowledge in the
xi
microbiology of engineered systems. Special thanks are due to Dr. Ben Koopman for
lending a listening ear to my book project and to Dr. Joseph Delfino for his moral
support. I thank Hoa Dang-Vu Dinh for typing the tables for this book. Her attention to
detail is much appreciated.
Special thanks to my family, Nancy, Julie, and Natalie, for their love, moral support,
and patience, and for putting up with me during the preparation of this book.
GABRIEL BITTON
Gainesville, Florida
xii PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
PREFACE TO THE SECONDEDITION
The second edition of Wastewater Microbiology incorporates the latest findings in a field
covering a wide range of topics.
During the past few years, we have witnessed significant advances in molecular
biology, leading to the development of genetic probes, particularly the ribosomal RNA
(rRNA) oligonucleotide probes, for the identification of wastewater microorganisms.
The road is now open for a better identification of the microbial assemblages in domestic
wastewater and their role in wastewater treatment.
The use of genetic tools has also been expanded as regards the detection of pathogens
and parasites (Chapter 4), and biotechnological applications for wastewater treatment
(Chapter 17). Chapter 4 has been expanded due to the emergence of new pathogens and
parasites in water and wastewater. The topic of drinking water microbiology has been
expanded, and two chapters are now devoted to this subject. Chapter 15 deals with
water treatment and Chapter 16 covers the microbiology of water distribution systems.
New methodology that shows the heterogeneous structure of biofilms and their complex
biodiversity includes nondestructive confocal laser-scanning microscopy in conjunction
with 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes (Chapter 16). The topic of wastewater
and biosolids disposal on land and in receiving waters has also been expanded and is
now covered in two chapters (Chapters 20 and 21).
New figures and tables have been added to further enhance the illustration of the book.
Many old figures and graphs were redrawn to improve the visual aspect of the book.
I am very grateful to the colleagues who reviewed the book proposal for their valuable
suggestions concerning the second edition of Wastewater Microbiology. I am particularly
grateful to my mentor and friend, Professor Ralph Mitchell, of Harvard University. As
editor of the Wiley series in Ecological and Applied Microbiology, he offered me his
full support in the undertaking of this project. I thank Dr. Charles Gerba of the University
of Arizona for his continuous moral support and enthusiasm. I thank Dr. Robert
Harrington, senior editor at Wiley, for enthusiastically endorsing this second edition of
Wastewater Microbiology.
A picture is worth a thousand words. I thank Dr. Christopher Robinson of the Oak
Ridge Institute of Science and Education, and Dr. H.D. Alan Lindquist of the U.S. EPA
for promptly and kindly sending me photomicrographs of Cryptosporidium parvum.
I am grateful to Dr. Rudolf Amann of the Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology,
Bremen, Germany, for allowing me to use his excellent color pictures on the use of rRNA
xiii
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