Removal Efficiencies of Microorganisms in Wastewater Treatment Processes

Abstract

The removal characteristics of indigenous microorganisms in wastewater treatment unit processes were studied at five operating wastewater treatment plants. The removal efficiencies of the selected microorganisms in each unit process were dependent upon not only the systems but also the kinds of microorganisms. In almost all processes, the removal efficiencies of total coliforms were similar to or higher than those of Clostridium perfringens except for filtration processes. In the additional survey, focussed on the comparison of removal efficiencies of total coliforms, Cl. perfringens and coliphages, little difference was found between CL perfringens and coliphages. From these results, it may be suggested that CL Perfringens is an effective indicator microorganism for evaluating microorganism removal in wastewater treatment processes and systems.