Wastewater treatment: Bionetix offers bioaugmentation solution

Startup of a wastewater treatment system has special challenges, whether the system is brand new or simply getting a reboot in cool spring or fall weather. On one hand, a completely new treatment system may not yet have a well-established microbial population and may be overwhelmed by the sudden influx of contaminants. On the other, cooler weather may mean that dissolved oxygen levels are lower in lagoons or that many waste-digesting microorganisms are still dormant.

Bioaugmentation with certain types of biologicals helps overcome these challenges when starting up a new operation or restarting an existing wastewater system in cool weather, and is also said to be beneficial through all seasons.

Launching a new wastewater system

BCP50 is an option for seeding a batch of activated sludge when starting a new wastewater operation. It can function in cooler weather and works in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions to biodegrade a general range of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and hydrocarbons by adding a surge of microbial strains to the system. Its ability to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) has been clearly demonstrated in more than one trial. For instance, an automotive manufacturer in Mexico that is also responsible for treatment of municipal wastewater and wastewater from their food service facilities was looking for a bioaugmentation solution to help them meet COD limits for industrial wastewater discharge. They tested several products in 60 litre reactors over a six week period. BCP50 helped maintain an 81% reduction in COD, outperforming the automaker’s standards and receiving approval for use at their factories internationally. BCP50 also showed swift and promising results for lowering COD in a sample of agricultural wastewater effluent from a pig farm lagoon in Spain.

A denitrification boost in cool weather

In cooler weather, naturally-occurring nitrifiers may not be awake, creating a buildup of ammonia and nitrogen in wastewater. BCP655 is a bio-converter for industrial and municipal lagoons. It can help remove a broad range of organic nitrogen (that is amino acids, proteins, purines, pyrimidines, and nucleic acids) from wastewater, which in turn leads to lower ammonia levels because BCP655 contains bacteria strains that can attack a wide range of organic chemicals, its corresponding nitrogen uptake is also higher.

BCP655 works in temperatures as cool as 50 °F (10 °C) (or less). It can also function at low levels of oxygen when nitrification processes are suppressed. This is because the microorganisms in BCP655 are good denitrifiers that use oxygen from nitrite/nitrate for respiration. Spring or fall startup aside, BCP655 can increase wastewater treatment efficiency significantly and eliminate expensive surcharges from high TKN (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen) discharge levels.

Off to a good start(up)

BCP50 and BCP655 can provide a needed boost of microbes to promote a healthy wastewater system at any time, but especially in the face of cool weather or startup challenges. BCP50 helps establish a good activated sludge microbial population and reduce BOD and COD discharge levels; while BCP655 helps convert and remove excess nitrogen, ammonia, and nitrites/nitrates in cool temperatures, both are the ways to reign in contaminant overload and get the next wastewater season off to a good start.

Bionetix International produces biological products used in field applications.

Edited version of company write-up.