Bioaugmentation Increasingly Seen as a Scientific Solution

Feb. 1, 2000
Not long ago, managers of municipal wastewater treatment facilities viewed their operations in terms of design capacity, equipment and chemicals. From this perspective, plant operators tended to solve their particular process problems by adding capacity, buying new pieces of equipment or introducing new chemical treatments.

Not long ago, managers of municipal wastewater treatment facilities viewed their operations in terms of design capacity, equipment and chemicals. From this perspective, plant operators tended to solve their particular process problems by adding capacity, buying new pieces of equipment or introducing new chemical treatments.

Increasingly, however, facility managers are looking to biology to help them solve their specific problems with respect to capacity, efficiency and environmental compliance. The biological solution comes in the form of billions of microorganisms added to wastewater systems to help achieve a wide range of process objectives. This biological solution ? a process known as ?bioaugmentation?? ? also is being viewed as a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional system improvements involving new facilities, equipment or chemicals.

?Bioaugmentation really has made a difference in our operation and we?re making that difference without harsh chemicals or mechanical equipment that would be extremely labor intensive,?? said Morris Linnemann, superintendent of the city of Columbia, Ill. Wastewater Treatment Facility.

James Ertle, president/CEO of BioLogix Products Group, Inc., based in St. Louis said that until recently, bioaugmentation was seen by many in the wastewater treatment field as a snake oil. Ertle, whose company manufactures a wide array of bioaugmentation products, said the notion that tiny ?bugs,?? too small to be seen, could somehow improve the efficiency of their operations and alleviate problems with ammonia levels, grease, sludge, odors or toxic shocks seemed too good to be true.

But there is nothing mystical or revolutionary about the use of microorganisms to achieve chemical transformations. Indeed, this process is at the foundation of procedures employed for hundreds of years by makers of alcoholic beverages, dairy products and pharmaceuticals.

In the context of wastewater treatment, Ertle said bioaugmentation techniques introduce specialized blends of bacteria into the waste stream to improve process efficiencies. The bacteria consume the soluble organic matter in the wastewater and convert it into carbon dioxide, water and energy to produce new cells. Eventually this degradation process converts soluble pollutants into insoluble biomass, which can be removed from the system for disposal.

To some degree, this process occurs naturally in all wastewater treatment facilities. A bioaugmentation regimen, however, introduces superior strains of bacteria on a continual basis to develop a specific bacterial diversity capable of degrading different compounds in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Continuous augmentation is critical in most operations due to variations in influent quality over time, system shocks and environmental factors affecting bacterial diversity.

Linnemann said he was dubious about bioaugmentation when he was looking for solutions aimed at bringing his plant into a tighter degree of environmental compliance. While his plant had been permitted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for effluent discharges of 37 ppm BOD and 45 ppm TSS, the agency wanted the facility to meet levels of 20 ppm BOD and 25 ppm TSS by November 2001. He was considering installation of a new clarifier system at a cost of $500,000, but decided to test bioaugmentation after a meeting with a BioLogix sales representative.

After beginning a bioaugmentation regimen in April, Linnemann said he has been able to dramatically reduce his BOD and TSS levels, bringing his facility into compliance with the new IEPA targets two years early. He said the plant?s BOD levels now range between 8 and 15 ppm. TSS levels have consistently registered below 25 ppm since the program began and actually dropped to as low as 6.3 ppm in October. At approximately $20,000 per year, Linnemann said the bacteria blend he uses is a bargain compared to the major capital upgrade he was considering just a few months ago.

Donald Allen, director of the South Island Public Service District in Hilton Head Island, S.C., said that his facility never had to meet targets for ammonia until South Carolina?s environmental protection agency included the issue in its permit two years ago. While the state agency was demanding that the facility achieve an ammonia level of 3 ppm, Allen said effluent coming from his facility was ranged as high as 50 ppm.

Allen said South Island PSD considered installation of an air stripping system that would have cost approximately $500,000. In addition to the problem of cost, Allen said the district doubted the air stripping option would be effective during winter months and believed the system posed significant environmental challenges.

Ultimately, South Island PSD decided to employ a bioaugmentation product designed to provide nitrification of ammonia nitrogen in wastewater. The facility saw a significant change in its ammonia levels in one week. After 18 months of using the product, Allen said the effluent from his facility averages .2 ppm.

?Since we started using the product, the discharge limits are barely detectable,?? Allen said.

About the Author: Dale Kalina is Chairman, President and CEO of St. Louis-based BioLogix Systems Corporation and its two subsidiaries, BioLogix Service Corporation and BioLogix Products Group.

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