Systems and methods for waste treatment

A method for aerobically processing waste, comprising:

• reacting waste aerobically with bacteria in a bioreactor volume under conditions configured for inhibiting or reducing growth of photosynthetic microorganisms;
• providing a flow of oxygen-producing photosynthetic microorganisms through the bioreactor volume from a source configured for promoting oxygen production by photosynthetic microorganisms, the source being different from the bioreactor volume, the photosynthetic microorganisms generating and providing oxygen to said liquid medium responsive to exposure to light;
• and
• preventing at least a majority of the bacteria from exiting the bioreactor with said flow of photosynthetic microorganisms.

Aerobic bioreactor configured for aerobically processing waste via bacteria fixed on media that are mobile within the aerobic bioreactor to provide processed effluent from the waste, comprising:

• a reaction vessel having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and a waste inlet, and defining an internal volume;
• said waste inlet being configured for selectively providing waste to said aerobic bioreactor;
• said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet being connectable to a source of oxygen-rich liquid medium, the source being different from said aerobic bioreactor, wherein said source is in selective fluid communication with said aerobic bioreactor via said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet to provide a recirculation circuit configured for controllably recirculating at least the liquid medium between said aerobic bioreactor and the source;
• the reaction vessel being configured for providing, via said recirculation circuit, a through-flow of at least the oxygen-rich liquid medium through said internal volume at a predetermined velocity, wherein said predetermined velocity is sufficient to cause the media to expand within the reaction vessel and mix therein with at least the oxygen-rich liquid medium.