Utilization of Microbe Balls from Mangrove Areas of Lemery in Pansipit Sewage Water Treatment

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Around 80% of wastewater is discharged into the waterways which can cause health and environmental hazard. (IWA, 2018) This instance can be seen in Pansipit River wherein sewages are connected and wastewater flows directly into it thus degrading its quality. The lack of water treatment facilities in this area served as the main factor to conceptualize microbe balls as an organic water treatment medium that contain actinomycetes which have the potential to perform nutrient recycling and eliminate water impurities. (Aggarwal, 2018).

METHODS

An experimental method was employed where three set-ups of wastewater samples were prepared to determine the effect of microbe balls in Pansipit Sewage Water before and after the treatment and another three set-ups to test the effect of a varied number of balls using water samples from three selected sewage stations in Lemery. Dissolved oxygen (DO) level, pH level, temperature, Nitrite and Phosphate content were tested through using Mean, T-test and Analysis of Variance. Differences were considered significant at the probability level of p<0.05.

RESULTS

Before the treatment, Pansipit Sewage Water has a low DO level, basic, has a normal temperature, high nitrite, and phosphate content. After the treatment, its quality improved as the DO level increased, pH level became neutral, temperature, nitrite and phosphate content were decreased which satisfies the Water Quality Guidelines and Effluent Standards. Statistically, there is a significant difference in the quality of Pansipit Sewage Water before and after the treatment. There is also a significant difference in the phosphate content if the number of microbe balls was varied and in the controlled and experimental set-ups in terms of DO, pH, and phosphate content.

DISCUSSIONS

The results revealed that microbe balls have the potential to treat sewage water since it improved the five water parameters involved in the study. Actinomycetes in microbe balls recycle nutrients and eat pathogenic microorganisms present in wastewater to remove its impurities.