The efficiency of a Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR) for domestic wastewater treatment in Basrah was assessed. The experiments were carried out via a laboratory-scale SBBR cylindrical vessel used for this study, with geometric volume of 26 L, having an internal diameter of 15 cm, a height of 40 cm, and a working volume of 13 L. After a one-month start-up cycle for biofilm growth on the fibrous filler, the SBBR research test period lasted two months. The SBBR was run for three weeks to ensure that the biological treatment systems were mature and those steady-state requirements were reached, throughout the starting-up phase of operation, the removal efficiency for COD, NH 3 -N, TN, and TP were 95%, 89%, 85%, and 93% respectively. The impact of aeration time on the SBBR efficiency was also tested by removal of COD, ammonia, total nitrogen TN, and total phosphorous TP under different levels of dissolved oxygen DO (2.0 -6.8) mg\L. The SBBR method proved to be an effective method for treating domestic wastewater in Basrah city.

This paper concentrates on evaluating the wastewater properties and performance of the hospital wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for two hospitals in Basrah province Al-Taaleme hospital, and Al-Fayhaa hospital. Samples were collected from the WWTS influent and effluent then evaluated pollutants containing by using American Public Health Association (APHA) methods and in comparison to standard guidelines. Laboratory tests of wastewater were conducted to investigate ten parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), PH, temperature, electric conductivity (E.C), total suspended solids (T.S.S), total dissolved solids (T.D.S), dissolved oxygen (DO) sulfate (SO4), phosphate (PO4), ammonia (NH3) and nitrate (NO3) which have been chosen to assess the quality of wastewater. The results showed that all pollutants were in compliance with the standard limit in Iraqi standard specification B1 for the year 1998, except for the NH3 results for Al-Fayhaa hospital (B), which were 12 mg/L while the standard was 10 mg/L, and COD effluent was exceeded the Iraqi standards for both hospitals Al-Taalemee hospital (A) and Al-Fayhaa hospital (B), which were 155 mg/L and 150 mg/L respectively while the standard was specified effluent by 100 mg/L, and for SO4 effluent was exceeded the Iraqi standards for both hospitals Al-Taalemee hospital (A) and Al-Fayhaa hospital (B) was 760 mg/L and 650 mg/L respectively while the standards were specified by 400 mg/L.

The hospitals close to the residences can make problems for the environment as a consequence of sewage drained into the water stream. Sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) offers advantages for treating sewage; such as simple operation, flexible process, and cost-effective. The laboratory bench-scale experiments were carried out treating hospital wastewater (HWW) of one of Basrah hospital city by a fabricated SBBR reactor of 26 l working volume. The hospital wastewater has the following characteristics (average values): pH 7.3, BOD equal to 280 mg·l–1, COD equal to 550 mg·l–1, total phosphorus (TP) equal to 6.4 mg·l–1, ammonia (NH3-N) equal to 44 mg·l–1 and total suspended solid (TSS) equal to 272 mg·l–1. This research aims to estimate the performance of the SBBR system for treating hospital wastewater to enhance different effluent parameters such as COD, total nitrogen (TN), ammonia, and total phosphorous (TP) with various dissolved oxygen (DO) with range of 2.15–6.55 mg·l–1, the best DO values give these removal efficiencies for COD equal to 84.55%, NH3-N equal to 65.91% and TN between 78 and 18% for DO equal to 3.67 mg·l–1, while TP removal efficiency was 79.70% for DO equal to 6.55 mg·l–1. By comparison of the SBBR effluent with international standards for effluent sewage, it noticed COD concentration 85 mg·l–1, TN 12 mg·l–1 and TP 1.3 mg·l–1 met all standards (European, WHO, and China), while NH3-N 15 mg·l–1 was outside WHO and European standards, while satisfies only Chinese standard.