The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process

The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process

In general, an area that is largely misunderstood in industrial wastewater treatment is the role played by bacteria, both indigenous and applied via bioaugmentation. With few exceptions, most industrial wastewater treatment of organic compounds  is intended to take advantage of the natural processes of wastewater treatment bacteria.

Bacteria may be aerobic, anaerobic or facultative anaerobes. Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to perform their metabolic functions and reproduce. Anaerobes cannot live and reproduce in the presence of oxygen. Facultative bacteria have the ability to live either in the presence or absence of oxygen. For the purposes of our discussion, we’ll talk about aerobic bacteria and discouraging or controlling the anaerobes.

In the typical industrial wastewater treatment facility, air is added to improve the metabolism and functioning of the aerobic bacteria. This addition of air is also done to enhance the aerobes at the expense of the anaerobes. A number of factors are controlled at an industrial wastewater treatment plant. All of them with the idea of improving the environmental conditions for the native bacteria. Conditions that are sometimes controlled are:

  • Settling
  • pH
  • Temperature
  • Agitation
  • Aeration

Introduction to Bacteria

Bacteria may be classified in a number of ways like size, shape, genus, species, etc. We’ll keep it general in our conversation and say that all of the organisms that we’re talking about are single celled prokaryotic, organisms. These single-celled organisms grow and when they reach a certain size they divide, becoming two organisms. They term used for bacterial reproduction is binary fission. During binary fission, both new cells are identical to the original cell and identical to each other. If there is a sufficient food supply, they grow and divide again. Every time a single bacteria cell divides, we have a new generation.

Its important to point out that the bacteria are not “thinking” about this process. Nor are they trying to accomplish something. The only thing on their mind is to reproduce.

Every time a bacterial cell splits, we have a new generation. This binary fission takes place every 20-30 minutes for many aerobic bacteria. This is known as exponential or logarithmic growth phase and is a key for the use of bacteria in the industrial wastewater treatment process.

This logarithmic growth is a function of two key variables; environment and food. The pattern which results is known as the bacterial growth rate curve. This typical growth rate curve is a result of the four following phases of bacterial life:

End Part 1 The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process.

Click Here for Part 2

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Why Aeration Alone Won’t Make My Lagoon Odor Go Way?

Why Aeration Alone Won’t Make My Lagoon Odor Go Way?

Here’s the situation. You have just purchased, or recommended, the company purchase, an expensive aeration system to take care of your lagoon odor problems. After all, the salesman said it would work. He explained that aerobic bacteria don’t create those nasty H2S odors, anaerobic bacteria do. So by simply adding aeration, you’ll change the environment in the lagoon. And Presto – Rotten Egg Odor Gone. No more neighbors complaining about lagoon odor.

So you spend the money, install the aeration system and turn it on. Unfortunately, the odor problem doesn’t go away.

IT GETS WORSE! An Overwhelming stench of hydrogen sulfide fills the air and your nostrils.

The installer says not to worry, it will get better over time. So what just happened? Why didn’t the lagoon odor go away with aeration?

First, we’ll need to talk about the microenvironmental situation in  the lagoon. In a typical wastewater lagoon, the wastewater stratifies. In other words, some of the water floats and some sinks. Because of this, only the top layer of the wastewater lagoon receives oxygen. As a consequence, obligate anaerobes ( bacteria that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen) proliferate in the lagoon. Obligate anaerobes (bacteria that need oxygen to survive) have only two choices; rise to the surface, or die off. Most wastewater lagoons, have way to much organic waste for the natural bacteria to process. So the anaerobes take over, producing that wonderful Hydrogen sulfide odor (and other wastewater and lagoon odor).

So lets get back to our problem – the lagoon odor that just got worse.

Adding aeration did kill off the anaerobic bacteria. The problem is there are so few aerobic bacteria left, there is no way the can handle all of the waste in the lagoon. The digestion of the organic material in the lagoon stops and as the lagoon get stirred up – LAGOON ODOR GETS WORSE.

Alright, so how do you solve this problem. Simple. Add F-TREAT by Custom Biologicals. F-TREAT is wastewater treatment bacteria. These bacteria have been specifically selected because of their enhanced ability to digest the organic materials found in wastewater without causing hydrogen sulfide odors.

Contact Custom Biologicals for more information about how to treat lagoon odor and prevent hydrogen sulfide problems at your facility.

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Using Fizzytabs to Reduce Lift Station Odors

Using Fizzytabs to Reduce Lift Station Odors

Lift station odors are one of the most common complaints and one of the most common lift station problems. The lift station tends to accumulate fats, oils and grease in  the lift station and on the sides of the lift station. Now, Custom Biologicals has come up with a cost

Reduce Lift station odors

Fizzytabs by Custom Biologicals

effective, environmentally safe, solution to the lift station odors problem – Shock Treatment Fizzytabs. Shock treatment fizzytabs are effective in treating lift station odors, particularly when the odors are cause by grease on the sides of the sewage lift station.

Shock treatment fizzytabs are a unique, effervescent tablet that contain billions of beneficial bacteria. These bacteria have been specifically selected because of their enhanced ability to metabolize the fats, oils, and grease (FOG)  that accumulate in sewage lift stations.

Most lift station odors are caused by the decay of organic materials, specifically FOGs. This decay is the result of incomplete digestion of the organic material by the indigenous bacteria, both aerobic bacteria and anaerobic bacteria. In particular, these indigenous bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell).

The bacteria in Shock Treatment Bacteria do not produce hydrogen sulfide. In fact, they digest the fats, oils, grease, and other organic material that cause lift station odors into carbon dioxide and water. They accomplish this by producing a wide variety of enzymes. Bacteria are sometimes thought of as enzyme producing factories.

How to Apply Shock Treatment Fizzytabs

Shock Treatment Fizzytabs are simple to apply. They are the most effective, biological lift station odor control product on the market today.

Here’s how to treat the lift station:

  • Place all twenty of the fizzytabs in a five gallon pail of fresh water. 
  • Wait 5 minutes for the fizzytabs to dissolve – You just made five gallons of a biological product!
  • Pour the liquid around the inside edges of the lift station.
  • You’re done! You’ve treated the lift station for odors arising from the crud on the inside of the lift station.

Incidentally, a tube of twenty fizzytabs weights about 1 pound and cost $59.00. If you’re paying more you should contact Custom at (561) 797-3008.

If you need to maintain the lift station – try the lift station maintenance kit. 

Want to try shock treatment bacteria to treat lift station odors. Order below.

 [add_to_cart item=”3002″ quantity=”user:1″ ]

Custom Biologicals is a manufacturer of biological products for use in environmental applications. Contact Custom for more information about how to biologically treat lift station odors.

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