BIOAUGMENTATION FAQs TYPICAL QUESTIONS POSED BY CUSTOMERS... What do MICROCAT® Bioagumentation Products do? Where do MICROCAT® Microbes come from? Are they safe? Can they "take over," causing new problems? Are regular maintenance applications required? Are MICROCAT® products expensive to apply? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT DO MICROCAT® BIOAUGMENTATION PRODUCTS DO? Our microbial formulations carry out the biodegradation of a large variety of organic pollutants. This biodegradation is accomplished by the enzyme systems produced by the microbes. The enzymes chemically break down waste compounds into smaller and smaller compounds, ultimately to carbon dioxide and water. The enzymes enable the microbes to use the organic contaminants as sources of energy and/or as reproductive building blocks. . . . Bioscience, Inc. supplies MICROCAT® bioformulations . . . Our products are based on the latest commercially-available advances in biotechnology designed to meet the requirements of specific waste treatment problems. Each prescribed augmentation program is based on an engineering analysis of the specific treatment or transport system. The augmentation program combines the appropriate microbial species with dosage recommendations and process recommendations to create a cost-effective solution. . . . and Complementary Services . . . Our services are designed to complement our product offerings in order to solve the most complex waste treatment and transport problems. Our experienced, professionally-trained support staff and fully-equipped laboratory facilities are available to provide a wide range of services, including: Treatment plant Assessment, Microscopic Biomass Examinations, Chemical Analyses, Biotreatability Testing, Wastewater Toxicity Testing, Soil Remediation Studies and Process Scale-up and Process Design and Development, Biodegradation Studies. Highly experienced scientists and our in-house laboratories and production facilities are available 24X7 to support you! Back to Top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE DO MICROCAT® MICROBES COME FROM? These microbes are naturally-occurring and were originally isolated from the environment. In general they can be found in areas of contaminated water or soil containing the compounds of interest. Once isolated, the microbes are grown on a small scale on selective growth media designed to enhance their ability to degrade the contaminant compounds of concern. The next step in the process produces several variants of each original microbe, which are again grown on selective media. The most viable and successful cultures are harvested , grown in larger batches, dispersed in a medium designed to maintain viability during storage and shipment and then blended with other microbes, nutrients, buffers, enzymes, surfactants and adsorbents to create the final product. Genetically engineered microbes are never used. Back to Top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARE THEY SAFE? Yes. Our commercial microbial strains have been reproduced from the parental stains in much the same manner as occurs naturally in nature. In addition, our quality control program insures that no disease-producing microbes are present in any of our formulations. Our quality control standards are rigorous. Ask about our ISO 9001:2000 Certification. Back to Top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAN THEY "TAKE OVER," CAUSING NEW PROBLEMS? No. Naturally occurring microorganisms generated in this manner will very rapidly consume the chemical contaminants normally toxic or inhibitory to many other microorganisms. As this consumption occurs, the microbes grow, reproduce and die in a dynamic sequence in competition with the other microbes present. Once their preferred food source becomes limiting (runs out), the growth rate of the added microbes slows relative to the other microbes present. The more slowly growing microbes, in turn, become a food source for higher microbial forms present in the system. Although our microbes may become an established part of the ecosystem, due to the dynamics of competition and grazing they seldom, if ever, take over or predominate the microbial population. Back to Top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARE REGULAR MAINTENANCE APPLICATIONS REQUIRED? Usually yes. The specific conditions of the treatment system determine if the augmentation microbes become established as a permanent part of the waste treatment ecosystem. If target contaminants fluctuate in concentration (as in the most common situations) the bacteria will grow rapidly when concentrations are high and slowly when concentrations are low. The augmented microbes may die out or be present in too low a number after a period of low influent concentration to be effective when the waste strength increases rapidly. Other conditions (pH, temperature, waste flow rate, alkalinity) will also vary causing fluctuations in the population dynamics (relative numbers of different microbes) of the system. For these reasons, regular maintenance application is recommended in almost every case. Some exceptions are start up assistance and one-time batch operations. For longer term batch wise treatment (e.g. bioremediation of soil) re-inoculation is required as site conditions change. Back to Top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARE MICROCAT® PRODUCTS EXPENSIVE TO APPLY? No. MICROCAT® microbial formulations are quite inexpensive to apply and. in most cases, much less expensive than alternate methods to solve the problem at hand. Bioaugmentation with MICROCAT® formulations can replace messy and often hazardous chemicals and can even help to eliminate the need for physical modifications to wastewater treatment systems. Back to Top