The Impact of Commonly Abused and Illicit Drugs in Wastewater Treatment

By Heather Jennings, PE, Senior Project Engineer for Probiotic Solutions®

I was attending a wastewater conference and overheard an operator talking about how a drug bust turned his lagoon orange and almost put him out of compliance with his permit. At another location, I was told that the city I was visiting had been hit by an unexpected source of ammonia that almost “wiped out” their bugs. I asked an operator if it was possible that the influent to his wastewater system might have illicit drugs in it. His reply was to the effect that, although he frequently found drug paraphernalia in his screens, he didn’t know of any illicit drugs being present in his system. So, I started wondering what illicit drug impacts really have on wastewater systems. The following is what I found. Continue reading

BIO ENERGIZER® Reduces Sludge at Sugar Refinery Wastewater Treatment Lagoons

Location: Louisiana

A large sugar refinery struggled with elevated BOD and COD values in its wastewater treatment lagoons due to the sugar refinery process. The lagoon wastewater system capacity was 25 million gallons with an influent of 1.25 million gallons per day. The wastewater system also suffered from accumulating sludge as well as significant odor issues. The sugar refinery had a history of periodically being unable to meet its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements. Continue reading

Rural Colorado Town Uses BIO ENERGIZER® to Reduce Wastewater Lagoon Sludge and Save Money

The wastewater treatment plant superintendent for a rural Colorado town of about 500 people noticed that the plant’s three wastewater lagoons were filling with sludge, but he was dealing with budget constraints. The town’s population fluctuates throughout the year, and the varied loading was affecting system performance. Continue reading

BHN’s Heather Jennings Receives TAPPI Division Leadership & Service Award

Heather Jennings, Senior Project Engineer for Probiotic Solutions® at Bio Huma Netics, Inc. (BHN), was presented the Division Leadership & Service Award by the TAPPI Women in Industry Division at the PaperCon meeting in Ohio on April 16. The Award was presented in recognition of Ms. Jennings’ outstanding leadership and exceptional service. Continue reading

Bio Huma Netics Appoints New CFO

Bio Huma Netics, Inc. (BHN), President and CEO Lyndon Smith has announced the appointment of Scott Bostwick to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bostwick replaces Mike Smith, who is retiring after almost 30 years with the company. BHN produces the Huma Gro®, Huma Gro® Turf, Probiotic Solutions®, and Mesa Verde Humates® product lines.

Mr. Bostwick, an Arizona State University graduate, completed his certified public accountant (CPA) exam in 2007 and, after working in various accounting and finance positions for government and private companies, joined BHN as Senior Director of Accounting in 2014. Continue reading

Solids Destruction Efficiency Using BIO ENERGIZER®

A small Missouri Sewer District operated a single wastewater lagoon that treated approximately 10,000 gallons per day of municipal sewage. The lagoon was in need of sludge removal as it had not been dredged since it was constructed in the ‘70s. By treating the lagoon with Bio Energizer®, the District saw improvement in water clarity, a reduction in odors, and a drastic reduction of accumulated solids. Continue reading

BIO ENERGIZER® Reduces Sludge, BOD, and Odor—City in Illinois

A small town in Illinois (pop. 3,500) had a municipal wastewater system that was in need of sludge removal. The sludge accumulation problem had become so problematic that the sludge was visible at the surface. The exposed sludge was causing an odor problem for the nearby residents. In addition, due to the high solids accumulation, the BOD values were higher than the State’s acceptable range.  Something had to be done at a cost that the town could afford. Continue reading

Recovering Wastewater Treatment Activated Sludge Systems After Hurricane Irma

By Heather Jennings, PE

Hurricane Irma hit Southern Florida in early September as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 180 miles per hour.  Due to flooding and lack of power, millions of gallons of untreated or partially treated wastewater were spilled or discharged from overwhelmed systems Continue reading

BIO ENERGIZER® Reduces Sludge at Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility in New Mexico

A small town in New Mexico (pop. 1,300) had a municipal wastewater system with a flow rate of 50,000 gallons per day. The system included a series of three lagoons. A recent sludge judge showed Pond 1 had an average sludge depth of 1.9 feet, Pond 2 averaged 3.5 feet, and Pond 3 averaged 2.7 feet. The system was in need of reducing the sludge in its lagoon wastewater system to meet state requirements. Continue reading

BIO ENERGIZER® Reduces Sludge at a Small Municipal Facility in Utah

A small municipality in Utah (pop. 1,800) had a wastewater system with a flow rate of 192,000 gallons per day. The system included a series of four lagoons, although at this time only Ponds 1 and 2 were being evaluated for treatment.

The influent consisted of domestic waste as well as septic. Pond 1 was specifically being addressed due to a State mandate. A sludge judge was performed which showed Pond 1 had an average sludge depth of 2.7 feet and Pond 2 averaged 1.9 feet. Two years later surfacing sludge prevented a sludge judge from being performed. Continue reading

Translate »
>