Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hybrid Treatment Systems: Integrating Biological and Physical Methods for Municipal Wastewater Management

Abstract

     This study measures the effectiveness and stability of the hybrid wastewater treatment plants where the integration of biological, chemical, and physical processes is done to treat municipal wastewater. The research will be used to determine the most appropriate hybrid train of treatment, analyze the contaminant removal efficiencies and research on the long time stability of operation. It utilized a mixed-methodology, which included experimental trials, statistical modelling, and time-series analysis. There were 3 hybrid treatment systems, namely system A (activated sludge + sand filtration), system B (biofilm reactor + coagulation-flocculation), and system C (anaerobic digestion + activated carbon adsorption). The research measured the indicators of water quality, such as the chemical oxygen demand (COD), the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), the total suspended solids (TSS), and the microbial contaminants.  The most efficient of the systems was System C due to its removal (COD: 79.94%, BOD: 80.32%, TSS: 79.96%)and the least variation and therefore most stable system. System B was average performing, compared to System A that was least performing and most fluctuated. The statistical results proved the presence of significant differences in the efficiency of treatment of three systems (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Time-series analysis showed that system C was performing at the same rate after six months, meaning that it can be used in the treatment of large-scale wastewater. The results strengthen the fact the combination of physical and biological process should be considered to improve the efficiency and stability of wastewater treatment. An anaerobic digestion with activated carbon adsorption as a supplement is an effective and renewable hybrid technology to treat municipal wastewater. The gap in the current research this study completes is its empirical comparison of hybrid treatment systems based on statistical significance testing and time-series analysis. The results yield helpful information on the streamlining of the hybrid wastewater treatment technologies to be applied in the practice of the municipal wastewater treatment plants.