By Jael Batty
Caffeine isn’t just prevalent in our food––it’s prevalent in our wastewater, waterways, and treated water.
MICROPLEX® JS Jump-Starts Summer Camp Wastewater Treatment Plant
January 2, 2019 By
Each year a summer camp in Utah becomes inundated with campers. The camp’s wastewater treatment plant goes dormant during the winter months with only occasional flows. The biomass becomes very inactive and in years past became overloaded and upset when the high organic load arrived at the plant at the beginning of the camping season. After battling with the plant year after year to get it to accommodate the high spring load and function correctly, the operator looked for a way to jump-start the system. Continue reading
Toilet–to–Tap—Taking the Ick Out of Wastewater Recycling
December 14, 2018 By
By Jael Batty
The UN warns that by 2030, over half the world will be water-stressed, affecting food production and increasing exposure to waterborne disease. There is enormous potential in directly recycled wastewater. Unfortunately, attempts at wastewater recycling have historically been shot down by the public.1 Thus, most treated wastewater is dumped into oceans and other water sources, becoming wasted water.2 Continue reading
Bargaining for Clean Water: Why Dean Kamen Invented the Coca-Cola Freestyle
December 7, 2018 By
The technology Kamen used to develop the Freestyle Coca-Cola soda fountain is similar to that in his prescription pumps.1
By Jael Batty
When Kamen asked Coke for help distributing his water purifier, Coke challenged Kamen to develop a better soda fountain first.
Dean Kamen, Inventor of Medical Technology
The inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen is known in the scientific community for developing medical equipment. His inventions include a wearable prescription pump for insulin and chemotherapy, a microdosing prescription pump for infants, and a home dialysis machine.1 When Kamen realized his dialysis machine required too much distilled water and energy for home use, he developed a system to purify tap water that would run on less power than a hairdryer. Continue reading
World Soil Day is December 5
December 5, 2018 By
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations sponsors World Soil Day every December 5 to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and the sustainable management of soil resources. Sponsored every year since 2014, this year’s theme focuses on soil pollution. Here is an excerpt from the World Soil Day Website:
“These days pollution is a worry – and soil is also affected. Soil pollution is a hidden danger that lurks beneath our feet. Continue reading
The Impact of Commonly Abused and Illicit Drugs in Wastewater Treatment
August 23, 2018 By
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
June 15, 2018 By
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
June 4, 2018 By
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
May 1, 2018 By
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
April 9, 2018 By
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
