Evaluasi Komparatif Efektivitas Konsorsium Mikroorganisme Dalam Pengolahan Air Limbah Domestik

Abstract

Population growth and increased domestic activities in Indonesia have led to a significant rise in water pollution loads, with approximately 85% originating from domestic wastewater. Although the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 11 of 2025 mandates wastewater treatment prior to discharge, the 2023 monitoring report shows that only 12.5% of domestic wastewater monitoring points comply with the effluent standards, particularly for BOD and ammonia. Bioremediation using aerobic microbial consortia is considered an effective and environmentally friendly approach; however, comparative studies between commercial bioactivator products remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three commercial microbial consortia in reducing organic pollutants in domestic wastewater. Consortium A consisted of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus polymyxa, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Consortium B consisted of Aerobacter sp., Nitrosomonas sp., and Saccharomyces cerevisiae; while Consortium C consisted of Nitrosomonas sp., Nitrobacter sp., and Bacillus sp.. The experiments were conducted in an aerobic batch system for 72 hours with three replications. The results demonstrated that each consortium exhibited distinct optimum treatment times and pollutant removal patterns. Consortium A showed the highest stability, achieving peak COD and ammonia removal at 72 hours. Consortium B reached its optimum BOD removal at 48 hours, whereas Consortium C met all effluent quality standards within 24 hours. The reactor (blank aeration) was able to meet all effluent quality standards within 72 hours. Cost analysis indicated that Consortium C had the lowest cost of compliance. These findings highlight that the selection of microbial consortia should be tailored to dominant pollutant characteristics, hydraulic retention time requirements, and economic efficiency.