A citrus plant struggled with poor settling in the clarifier of its wastewater treatment, which caused the sludge blanket to remain high. Even at a low flow rate of 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD), the high sludge blanked allowed less than 18” of free board. The slightest flow increase caused solids to carry over the weir with the effluent. Since the citrus plant frequently produced wastewater flows 1.5 to 2.5 MGD, the wastewater treatment plant continued to suffer from solids washout and clarifier effluent total suspended solids (TSS) excursions. The citrus plant wastewater treatment was a 6 million gallon per day (MGD) traditional aeration system with secondary clarification.
The Wastewater Manager’s overall objective was to obtain better settling in the secondary clarifier by improving the quality of the biological sludge. High sludge blankets and solids washouts were occurring frequently. A sludge volume index (SVI) of 200 indicated a poor quality sludge with bulking problems. All attempts to cure the bulking, including return sludge chlorination, provided little relief.
To activate the biological processes in the treatment system, Probiotics Solutions® BIO ENERGIZER® was fed directly into the influent flume at the aeration basin. Return activated sludge (RAS) chlorination was continued.
Sludge settling rates began to improve after about 30 days of treatment with BIO ENERGIZER®. A 50% improvement in SVI reduced the sludge blanket and put a stop to TSS excursions into the effluent, improving operation efficiency of the citrus plant wastewater treatment.
Probiotic Solutions® BIO ENERGIZER® is a formulation of nutrients, organic acids, natural biological stimulants, and energy systems that balance the natural microbial ecosystem to increase bio-oxidation capacity in lagoon systems.
Related Posts
This Week in Ag #11
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge seed products by their bag covers. There’s lots of telling information on them. Just look at this bag of seeds going on my farm. The bag itself prominently features the brand name and logo (AgriGold), type of product (corn), the actual product name (A647-79VT2PRO) and
Making Memories by Making Hay
Making Memories by Making Hay A nostalgic look back at the labor, sweat, and family memories made during hay season — from hand-stacking square bales to the arrival of the game-changing round baler.
PS and RWAAz Host PFAS Workshop
Probiotic Solutions®, along with the Rural Water Association of Arizona, conducted a workshop today on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Probiotic Solutions/Bio Huma Netics headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona. The workshop, titled “PFAS: The Phantom Menace,” featured presentations by Heather Jennings, PE, Director of Probiotic Solutions, and Marci Payne, Sales and Marketing Manager at Legend
