Treatment of Wastewater Using a Fixed Bed Bio-Reactor, Sabratha

Abstract

The discharge of untreated human wastewater into coastal waters poses serious environmental risks, including contamination with organic matter, nitrogen compounds, and coliform bacteria. This study investigated the treatment of human wastewater from Sabratha city using a fixed bed bioreactor, comparing three filter media configurations: mixed media, Sand, and limestone-sand. Water quality parameters including pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate (NO₃⁻), ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrite (NO₂⁻), and coliform bacteria were measured before and after treatment. The results revealed differences in filter performance. The limestone-sand filter achieved the highest pH adjustment and TDS removal (18.5%), while the mixed media filter showed superior removal of ammonium (78.6%), nitrite (68.4%), and coliform bacteria (92.5%), followed by Sand and limestone-sand filters. These findings demonstrate that fixed bed bio-reactors with properly selected filter media can effectively improve the quality of human wastewater before or during its discharge into the sea, reducing chemical and biological pollutants and minimizing environmental impacts.