In the purification processes of urban wastewater, it normally begins with the separation of large material, sand and grease, and then begins the biological treatment where these microorganisms feed on the organic matter present in the effluent. At this stage it is necessary to maintain the water with a certain degree of agitation and aeration so that the aerobic bacteria do their job well.
There are different types of purifying bacteria (aerobic), and filamentous (which may or may not need oxygen), in order to perform their work optimally they must work in symbiosis.
Aerobic microorganisms are inoculated into the sewage treatment plant. These microbes utilize the organic components of the sewage and reduce the toxicity. This can be measured by BOD. After the biological treatment, the sludge is pumped from the treatment plant into a large tank. Furthermore, anaerobic bacteria are an important element in the wastewater treatment processes. They are responsible for methane fermentation of sewage sludge, facilitating decomposition of macromolecular organic matter into simpler compounds. The cleaner water trickles out through pipes for further treatment. From a trickling filter, the partially treated sewage flows to another sedimentation tank to remove excess bacteria. The trend today is towards the use of the activated sludge process instead of trickling filters.Enteroviruses make their way into our water supply by the fecal waste of infected animals and/or humans. They include polioviruses, echoviruses and coxsackieviruses. In municipal wastewater treatment plants, for example, gram-negative bacteria of the proteobacteria type are predominant (21-65%) of which Betaproteobacteria is the most abundant class, largely responsible for the elimination of organic elements and nutrients. Wastewater entering a treatment plant is aerated to provide oxygen to bacteria that degrade organic material and pollutants. Microbes consume the organic contaminants and bind the less soluble fractions, which can then be filtered off.