Polishing of secondary effluent by an algal biofilm process.

The potential in polishing secondary effluent by an algal biofilm composed of different green and bluegreen algae was investigated. During the photosynthesis process of algal biofilm oxygen was produced while dissolved carbon dioxide was consumed. This led to an increasing pH due to the change of the carbon dioxide equilibrium in water. The high pH caused precipitation of dissolved phosphates. The attached algae took up nitrogen and phosphorus during the growth of biomass. In addition to nutrient removal, an extensive removal of faecal bacteria was observed probably caused by adsorption of the algal biofilm and by photooxidation involving dissolved oxygen. The experimental results suggest that a low-cost, close to nature process especially for small wastewater treatment plants for nutrient removal and bacteria reduction can be developed with the aid of an algal biofilm.