Webinar video highlights key findings—including $6M in savings—from a year-long bioremediation program for lagoon sludge reduction at a municipal wastewater treatment plant.
In this 31-minute video, Heather Jennings, PE, Director of Probiotic Solutions®, and Diego Lopez, Chief Plant Operator for the City of Lemoore, Calif., Wastewater Treatment Plant discuss highlights from the year-long study of a bioremediation program (using Bio Energizer®) for lagoon sludge reduction at a municipal wastewater treatment plant.
In the study, the operators of a municipal wastewater treatment facility with 4 lagoons had determined that their 2 primary lagoons—10-foot-deep, with 25-million-gallon holding capacity each—had reached sludge depths of 5–7 feet, putting the lagoons at risk of upset and seriously impacting the facility’s wastewater processing capacity.
A bioremediation plan was implemented that included the use of a biostimulant to support microbial reduction of the organic solids in the system. Sludge judging was performed for the 2 primary lagoons at baseline and at quarterly intervals over a one-year period to measure the impact of the bioremediation plan on sludge reduction.
The results of ATP and DNA analyses pointed out the often-misunderstood fact that wastewater treatment facility lagoon sludge is not inert: it is the most biologically active layer of the water column and can be efficiently controlled and reduced through proper bioremediation interventions
At the end of the one-year bioremediation plan, sludge depth for the 2 lagoons had been reduced by an average of 45%, with sludge depth at some sample points completely reduced to zero. This represented 17,800 dry tons of sludge that did not need to be mechanically removed and hauled to a disposal location, a potential savings to the treatment facility of over $6 million.
To read the full report in the Lagoons: Under the Surface white paper, CLICK HERE.
Abstract
In Episode 8, Heather Jennings discusses DNA Analysis and Microscopy with Dr. Paul Campbell and Ryan Hennessy. Paul has extensive experience with microbial physiology, industrial microbiology, and fermentation and leads Aster Bio’s molecular biology and biochemistry work. Ryan is a microbiology and operations specialist at Midwest Contract Operations. Topics covered in the podcast include introduction and orientation to wastewater microbiology evaluation including Next Generation DNA Sequencing, qPCR, and microscopic evaluation; identifying and interpreting microorganisms and their roles in wastewater processing; and tracking microbiology trends in system operations.
