Biosolutions Newsletter

Volume 5, Issue 1, February 2005

Contents:

1. Bioscience Aids Agriculture

2. One Satisfied Customer

3. Bioscience People

4. Oily Water Management Services

5. Liquid and Dry Feeders

Bioscience Aids Agriculture

The news about biotechnology in agriculture today focuses primarily on the risks and benefits of genetic engineering. A quieter revolution, however, is taking place, using naturally occurring microorganisms to revitalize worked-out land, clean water, and return nutrients to the soil, while protecting the environment. These techniques work with nature rather than against it, accelerating processes that would ordinarily take years to accomplish. Microbial products also aid farms in more heavily populated areas by controlling odors generated during the liquefaction and/or composting of farm residues and animal wastes.

Spill Farming

 “Spill farming” uses applied microorganisms, selected to screen out pathogens, to decontaminate soils containing toxic hydrocarbons, restoring their capacity to support normal plant growth. This technique, which has been used successfully for over 20 years, is a good example of the straightforward processes involved in bioaugmentation for agricultural purposes.

After analysis to determine the biodegradability of the contaminants, the soil is generally disced to mix and aerate its constituents. Most microorganisms require oxygen and nutrients to multiply. Tilling supplies oxygen and mixes in whatever nutrients need to be applied for optimum bacterial growth. Contaminated soil is sometimes placed in windrows on an impermeable substrate to prevent leaching of material into the soil while clean-up is taking place.

The tilled soil is then sprayed with a water-based suspension of naturally occurring bacteria, selected for their activity in digesting the contaminant, which is often a hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons such as diesel fuel or gasoline. While some compounds, such as PCBs, cannot be biodegraded readily, most of the chemicals on the EPA “restricted” list can be digested rapidly by bacteria, leaving a residue of cell protein, water and carbon dioxide. A typical spill farming operation takes about six months to reduce contaminants to acceptable trace levels, re-tilling the soil every few weeks to provide more air.

Because of the “ubiquity principle,” which states that every form of microorganism is present at every location, at all times, biodegradation of foreign materials would take place naturally over the course of time. However, providing large numbers of appropriate microorganisms, and creating ideal conditions for their growth, accelerates the rate of the process many times over. From a practical standpoint, natural biodegradation might require several human lifetimes. A large number of case studies testify to the effectiveness of spill farming, both in reducing biodegradation time and in improving its effectiveness.

Improving Depleted Soils

Bioaugmentation helps restore productivity to soils depleted by irrigation, over-fertilization, pesticide use and even topsoil stripping. Low levels of saprophytic bacteria in such soils can result in poor turf and crop growth, since bacteria are needed to convert both organic and inorganic matter into nutrients usable by plants.

A product from Bioscience Inc., known as Microcat®-AG Soil Conditioner, provides a uniform microbial starter culture to improve soil microbial activity, resulting in improved characteristics, tilth and productivity. It is used primarily on golf courses, but is also applicable to depleted soils, or as an admixture in horticultural products or soil amendments–with slow-release organic fertilizers– to insure high microbial activity at the point of use..

The product is a fine powder which can be mixed with water for spraying on depleted soils. The saprophytes used in its formulation are natural, non-pathogenic varieties adapted to a wide range of temperatures and pH levels from 6 to 9.

Composting

Small-scale composting of agricultural wastes is readily accomplished with time-tested stacking and aeration techniques. On a commercial scale, however, problems occur frequently with incomplete conversion, or localized conditions within the composting mass. Microbial inoculation speeds composting and improves the consistency of the end product, especially when the products to be composted vary widely.

A microbial additive for composting, Microcat®-CC Composting Bioformula, is a blend of preselected, adapted microorganisms in the form of a tan, granular powder, designed to be mixed with water and added directly to the composting material. There are various techniques for applying Microcat-CC. A Bioscience representative can recommend the one best suited to an individual application.

Odor Control

Another problem with large-scale composting operations, especially in heavily populated areas, is odor. This is generally caused by sulfur-bearing compounds that occur when composting material receives insufficient aeration. Certain bacteria, however, reduce odor-causing sulfides to odorless elemental sulfur, which is occluded by the bacterial cell walls, preventing further oxidation.

Microcat®-ANL, containing a blend of bacterial strains in liquid form, is used in composting, and also in sludge, contaminated soils and wastewater, both to suppress sulfide odor and to enhance biodegradation in situations where oxygen supply is limited, as in landfills, sewer lines or wastewater storage lagoons.

Even in the absence of public relations challenges, odor can be a problem in manure pits, where accumulated animal droppings tend to solidify and decompose during storage, making handling and spreading expensive, difficult and messy. Here bioaugmentation can make the chore less unpleasant, while improving the value of the manure as fertilizer. The odors generated in a manure pit are symptoms of nitrogen loss, since the odor-causing gases, if not sulfides, are nitrogen compounds escaping into the atmosphere, reducing the amounts of elemental nitrogen available for eventual plant growth.

A microbial product, Microcat®-DL Deodorizer/Liquefier, contains bacterial strains that help liquefy animal droppings, while sequestering nitrogen compounds to prevent gas formation and make the element more available to plants. This formulation also contains buffers for pH control and biodegradable surfactants to improve liquefaction. Supplied as a granular powder, it can be mixed with water and sprayed into the pit, or simply sprinkled on for smaller applications.

Farm and Fish Ponds

Maintaining the clarity of farm ponds and fish farms is often difficult, especially in warm weather, due to excess suspended solids. This can be a commercial as well as an aesthetic problem when aerated ponds are used for fish farming.

While bioaugmentation will not control weeds or slime growth in ponds, it will reduce cloudiness and promote settling of suspended solids. A new Bioscience product, Microcat®-AL Pond Cleaner, will even work at low oxygen levels, since it contains both aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria to digest and displace the filamentous life forms that are frequently present.

For disasters such as oil spills on standing water, there is Microcat®-SK, which not only absorbs floating hydrocarbons –such as diesel fuel– and other petroleum hydrocarbons, so that they can be skimmed off, but also begins immediately to biodegrade the spilled material, so that it can be disposed of economically. While Microcat-SK presents no environmental hazards when used as directed, local, state and federal laws should be consulted for proper disposal of absorbed oil.

Economics

Although a cost-benefit analysis is advisable for any agricultural application of bioaugmentation, the technique is generally inexpensive when compared to mechanical alternatives. In the case of depleted soils there may be no timely alternative to replenishing the natural microbial population. For treatment of contaminated soils, costs generally range less than one cent per pound, a fraction of the expense of removal and disposal in secure landfills. Water treatment usually costs less than one cent per 1,000 gallons.

For advice on feasibility and costs, please consult your Bioscience distributor or contact us directly at 610-691-2170.

A Satisfied Restaurant Owner

We recently received the following letter from private label reseller BioEngineering Solutions, regarding the effect of Microcat DNT in keeping a restaurant’s grease traps clean and free-running. A technical case study is now available.

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is to outline the operational and financial benefits that I have experienced through the use of the bacterial drain treatment offered by Bioengineering Solutions. I have used this program in my KFC restaurant from 8/03 till the present. In the beginning I was very skeptical and this resulted in monthly “checks” of the grease trap to witness the effectiveness of the bacterial treatment. And I am proud to say that when we now pop the cover the first thing that is noticed is the fact that there is not any repugnant odor, in addition there is a total absence of any cake across the top of the liquid in the trap, the trap does not need any pumping and the refuse water is flowing without any problems.

Now, I would like to point out the operational benefits, they are even greater than I initially expected. This is through the pure and simple fact that since we introduced this program into the restaurant, we have not had any incidents of backed up drains that the team has had to deal with. From my experience the drains never “choose” the right time to back up, it’s always either later at night or during the weekend. And this results in complete stress and chaos as the manager frantically attempts to locate a plumber and generates an emergency call that definitely costs more money.

This brings me to the financial benefits which add even a greater advantage to the program. Here are the actual and projected savings that we experienced and anticipate.

Actual Costs:

As you can see, the annual savings by using the bacterial treatment in my case is $1170.75. Now this actually changes due to the fact that the pumping charges in our county have increased during the test by $39.00 a month. In turn this increases my projected savings to $1638.75.

The net effect is that through the proper use of the program offered through BioEngineering we have reduced some of the stress levels of our restaurant teams through improved operations and increased the profitability of our business. It is definitely a win-win proposition that I recommend.

Sincerely,

(signed)

Kyle L. Ogden

Owner-Operator

Bioscience People

Jay Hill:

Sales Manager Jay B. Hill has been with Bioscience, Inc. for 16 years, beginning as the company’s resident chemist, then as manager of manufacturing. He received his degree in chemistry from California University of Pennsylvania and did graduate work at Pennsylvania State University.

After graduation he worked as a chemist for Hess Environmental Laboratories in Stroudsburg, Pa.

“Being a ‘Green’ with a background in chemistry, the field of bioremediation is one that I have a real gut feel for,” he says. “I like to think we are bettering the environment, and I enjoy the small company atmosphere at Bioscience as well.” He is especially interested in the relatively new area of agricultural bioremediation, where naturally occurring bacteria are applied to help revive “worked out” land or areas that have been damaged by over-fertilization and the salts from irrigation.

“Bioscience was started to serve businesses and municipalities with microbial products for wastewater treatment and spill clean-up. At that time, there were certain reservations about the technique. These caveats have gone by the wayside, now that bioaugmentation has been demonstrated many times over to be safe and cost-effective. This has resulted in more products intended for smaller end users, from farmers to gas stations. I think we’ve just scratched the surface, and there are potential applications we haven’t discovered yet.”

“We deal almost exclusively through distributors, however, and my job is to help the company do better at manufacturing, distributing and supporting our technical representatives.”

Hill lives with his wife and two children in Laurys Station, Pa., a village about half an hour’s drive north of company headquarters in Bethlehem, Pa.

Expanding Oily Wastewater Services

In the last issue we described two related new products–Microcat®-BK-A degreaser and Microcat®-BK-B biodegrader, designed specifically for the oily water that results from washing or rebuilding electrical and mechanical equipment. The products are an unbeatable pair for automotive parts washing, degreasing of electrical motors and equipment and other operations that require efficient cleaning plus economical disposal of the resulting hydrocarbon-containing wastewater. The biodegrader (BK-B) usually reduces contaminants in wastewater to the point where they can be disposed of safely in sewer lines, and can reduce total cleaning and disposal costs by 50 to 75 percent.

Bioscience now offers B-K oily wastewater management service designed around these products. The service includes a complete site assessment, on-site demonstration, site storage tank installation, site cleaning, water system maintenance, built-in application expansion, on-site services report and evaluation. For further details, contact us at bioscience@bioscienceinc.com, or call 610-974-9693.

Expanded Line of Liquid and Dry Feeders Now Available

Automatic dispensing of biological products reduces costs and improves the effectiveness of bioaugmentation and wastewater treatment by closely controlling the amount dispensed and the time(s) at which the product is added. Bioscience has offered economical liquid product dispensers for a number of years – now the same convenience and economy are available for Microcat® biological products in dry powder form.

A larger feeder, available for lease, holds an average one-month supply of dry product for applications such as large lift stations or medium-to-large-size wastewater treatment plants. It automatically meters up to 6 kg (13.2 lbs.) per day of dry product, pre-conditions and hydrates it, and adds the mixture to the system.

A smaller unit operates on the same principle. With a hopper capacity of about 11.3 kg (25 lbs.) it is intended for large grease traps or small wastewater treatment plants.