This case study is about bioremediation of oil in a retention or holding pond. I’ve run into a number of these types of projects through the years. Typically in the dry months, the pond has little to no water. Once a hard rain comes, the water in the pond has a oil sheen. Additionally, the water may or may not have a petroleum smell. This type of situation is perfect for bioremediation using bioremediation bacteria such as Custom HC. Custom HC is a microbial product manufactured by Custom Biologicals and containing petrophilic bacteria. Bioremediation of Oil in a Retention Pond Client Category: Bioremediation – Major Oil Company Location: Texas, USA Physical Description: A 30,000 gallon pond with oil contamination of 971 ppm (mg/L). Custom Treatment: A daily dosage of Custom HC, a microbial product, was applied directly to the surface of the pond. A total of one 55 gallon drum was used. Nutrients were added and two 3HP (three horsepower), two inch diameter pumps were installed to continuously circulate the pond contents for the purpose of aeration. Custom Results: The following results occurred within 30 days: The bioremediation of oil in holding and retention ponds can best be accomplished using Custom HC, a bioremediation product by Custom Biologicals. Custom HC is available as a...

A case study about the bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soils using Custom HC, a bioremediation bacteria product. This case study is a quite simple illustration of the use of bioremediation bacteria to clean petroleum contaminated soils. Custom HC, manufactured by Custom Biologicals, is a bioremediation bacteria product. Custom HC contains petrophilic (oil-loving) bacteria selected because of their enhanced ability to degrade petroleum products, fuel oils, phenols and petrochemicals. The addition of bacteria with the intent of metabolizing petroleum or other chemicals is called bioaugmentation. Bioremediation of Petroleum Contaminated Soils – A Case Study   Client Category: Ex-situ Petroleum contaminated soil. Location: Dade County, Florida, U.S.A. Problem:  An underground leaking motor oil storage tank went unnoticed and unemptied for 15 years. Two batches of excavated soil were contaminated with motor oil. Contamination Size: The soils were removed resulting in two piles, batch1 and batch 2. Batch #1 208 cubic yards 18,000 ppm TPH (Total Parts Hydrocarbon).  Batch #2 178 cubic yards 8,530 ppm TPH. Custom Treatment: Soil was treated separately with 2 gallons of Custom HC per cubic yard. Nutrients were added according to recommendations and aeration was provided. From the graphs, it is easy to see that both piles were treated by 90 days after the start of the bioremediation of petroleum. While...

This is an interesting sewage treatment case study that took place in Mazatlan, Mexico. F-TREAT by Custom Biologicals is the product featured in this case study. F-TREAT is a biological wastewater treatment product designed to reduce BOD, COD, and FOG’s in sewage treatment plants, lagoons, and industrial wastewater treatment plants. In this case study, the wastewater treatment plant for  the city was overcapacity and there was no funding for a new sewage treatment plant. The decision was made to convert an existing, freshwater lagoon into a treatment plant. The conversion was simply plastic dividers to channel the wastewater in a circular motion around the lagoon. In this manner, we were able to increase the retention time inside the lagoon. As you’ll see below, this solution proved to be an inexpensive alternative to building a new sewage treatment system. Sewage Treatment Using a Lagoon – A Case Study Client Category: Municipal wastewater treatment plant. Location: Mazatlan, Mexico Physical Plant: The lagoon was about 300 Meter in length and 50 Meter in width. Depth was about 1.5 Meters. Baffles were installed in the lagoon to direct the flow of the wastewater Flow: 1.7 MGD (million gallons per day) overflow. Problem: Low reduction of BOD and COD. Overflow water with high BOD and COD overloaded existing municipal...

This case study is about food processing wastewater treatment using F-TREAT by Custom Biologicals. Food processing wastewater is a major problem for food manufacturers in the US. In particular, treating food processing wastewater WITHOUT adding a new facility or other large capital purchases is generally considered the most cost effective method. This case study shows the use of F-TREAT to effectively treat food processing wastewater. Industrial Wastewater Treatment of Food Processing Wastewater Client Category: Industrial wastewater treatment – Food processing and packaging plant. Location: Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Physical Plant: Two 5,000 gallon alternating holding tanks from one small section of the entire plant. Flow: 20,000 GPD average, seasonal. Problem: Extremely high BOD (35,000 mg/L average). Elevated TSS (3,500 mg/L average). Extremely high temperature ( 165°F. average). Overall plant waste stream BOD > 5,000 mg/L average. Previous Treatment: Sodium hyperchloride was used at the rate of 100 gallons per 3,000 gallons of waste. Previous Results: Sodium hyperchloride treatment reduced BOD to an average of 10,000. A backup of the system the previous year resulted in a loss of permit to use this treatment method. The client was proceeding to build an expensive waste treatment plant. Custom Treatment: F-TREAT was added at a rate of 11 gallons per 4,000 gallons of waste. The holding time of each batch was...

This case study is about municipal wastewater treatment. Specifically this wastewater treatment plant accepted grease from grease trap pumpers and attempted to pre treat the fats oils and grease (reduce FOG’s). After pre treatment, the grease would then flow into the main wastewater treatment plant and combine with the rest of the sewage. While good on paper, at this facility the pre treatment was not working properly. When released into the main treatment facility the  FOG’s were causing a number of sewage problems at the treatment plant. This case study show the use of F-TREAT, by Custom Biologicals, to solve this wastewater problem. Municipal Wastewater Treatment Case Study Client Category: Municipal wastewater treatment plant accepting liquid waste (FOG’s) from septic and grease trap pumpers. Location: Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.A. Physical Plant: A 60,000 gallon holding tank was used for pre treatment to reduce the FOG, BOD and TSS before entering the activated sludge treatment plant. Flow: 1.4 MGD (million gallons per day) Existing Problems: Two air blowers required to aerate. Manual daily application of competitors enzymes and catalyst required significant time. Accumulating solids in tank. Heating to 85° F. required to keep grease from solidifying. Objectives: Use a more effective product – F-TREAT. Eliminate the use of one aerator. Reduce teh temperature below 65° F. Reduce...

This case study is about septic leach field problems. For those of you on a septic system, you’re aware that the septic leach field is the area where the wastewater from the septic tank ultimately drains through the drain lines. Unclogging the leach field is a difficult, expensive and time consuming proposition. This case study will revolve around recovering a leach field using Custom ST and Custom GT, products of Custom Biologicals. Leach Field Problems – A Case Study Client Category: Septic Leach Field Problems – Supermarket – Grocery Store Location:  New Hampshire, U.S.A. Physical Plant: Supermarket with two failed septic leaching fields. Problem:A new, replacement store was in the process of being built. The existing store needed to operate for an additional six to nine months. Previous Treatment: The septic tank was pumped frequently since the leaching field did not take water. Weekly septic tank pumping costs were $2900.00. Custom Treatment: A septic leaching field recovery program was implemented. This program consisted of a daily dosage of Custom ST and bionutrients applied directly into the leaching field. A pretreatment program consisted of a computer controlled electric pump dispensing Custom GT directly into each triple-sink’s drainline within the store. The leaching field recovery program was ended after five months when the leaching field was...