In this study, the efficiency of a trickling photo-bioreactor (TPBR), seeded with activated sludge and microalgae, was evaluated for domestic wastewater treatment. TPBR was operated completely on natural aeration at 2-, 4-, and 6-h hydraulic retention time (HRT) with a 12:12 h light: dark cycle. The total organic carbon (TOC) and total nutrient (TN) removal were negatively affected by decreasing the HRT from 6 to 2 h. The TPBR was able to reduce TOC from 93 to 9 mg/L, TN from 34 to 18 mg/L, and phosphorus from 23.5 to 4 mg/L at 6-h HRT. The chlorophyll concentration (5 – 7 mg per liter of sponge volume) was observed to be highest in the middle of the reactor. Altogether, 106 organic micropollutants of different classes like pharmaceutical, personal care products, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides were detected in the influent wastewater sample. However, in the treated effluent, only 17 micropollutants were detected at 6-h HRT. This shows that the algal-bacterial consortia are capable of removing micropollutants from wastewater. The energy input was 0.06 kWh/kg COD removed which is much less than the conventional activated sludge processes. The results indicate that this novel system is capable of providing a sustainable wastewater treatment solution.

在这项研究中，评估了接种活性污泥和微藻的滴流光生物反应器 (TPBR) 处理生活污水的效率。TPBR 完全在自然曝气下运行，水力停留时间 (HRT) 为 2 小时、4 小时和 6 小时，明暗循环为 12:12 小时。将 HRT 从 6 小时降低到 2 小时会对总有机碳 (TOC) 和总养分 (TN) 去除产生负面影响。在 6 小时 HRT 条件下，TPBR 能够将 TOC 从 93 降至 9 mg/L，将 TN 从 34 降至 18 mg/L，将磷从 23.5 降至 4 mg/L。观察到叶绿素浓度（每升海绵体积 5 – 7 毫克）在反应器中间最高。总共 106 种不同类别的有机微污染物，如药品、个人护理产品、杀虫剂、除草剂、进水废水样品中检出杀菌剂。然而，在处理后的污水中，在 6 小时 HRT 下仅检测到 17 种微污染物。这表明藻-细菌聚生体能够去除废水中的微污染物。能量输入为 0.06 kWh/kg COD，远低于传统活性污泥工艺。结果表明，这种新型系统能够提供可持续的废水处理解决方案。