Application of Recycled Plastic Media to Enhance Processes of a Waste Water Treatment Plant

Abstract

Increased environmental awareness and treating waste water streams from municipalities, agricultural and industrial producers in an environmentally sound way makes it necessary to look at processes inspired by nature. The presented research focus performed at the Clean water Educational Research Facility, located at the waste water treatment plant of the New York Village of Minoa was to investigate the use and application of recycled plastic materials as future growth media for different waste water treatment processes. Six recycled plastic materials; Polyethylen-terephthalat, Polyethylene high density, Polyvinyl chloride, Polyethylene low density, Polypropylene, and Polystyrole were used for the growth media experiments at the waste water treatment plants distributer box, feed box, primary clarifier, trickling filters, sequential batch reactor, anaerobic fermenter, and chlorination vessels. Testing was conducted during a 5-month period, measuring the test specimens for their biomass growth at a 3-week time interval that allows bacteria to generate a biomass film on the test specimen. Biomass growth was observed on all types of plastic material at the testing locations. Results show that each process at a wastewater treatment plant prefers different recycled plastic material. The preferred recycled plastic growth media was Polyethylene high density for primary clarifier applications. Recycled Polypropylene plastic material was preferred for applications in distributor boxes, primary clarifier, and sequential batch reactor. Recycled Polyvinyl chloride plastic material was preferred as growth material in trickling filter, anaerobic fermenter and chlorination applications. Recycled Polyethylene low density plastic material was preferred for Trickling filter and secondary clarifier applications. It is suggested that future research using recycled plastic material as growth media for biological waste water treatment processes should focus on these recycled plastic types.