Product name: IET-Aquaresearch Ltd

Type: Bio-augmentation

Location: North Hatley, Canada

Products: Bacta-Pur® XLG, Bacta-Pur® XLSW, Bacta-Pur® N3000, Bacta-Pur® H2000, Bacta-Pur® Klean Drain, Bacta-Pur® Bactivator®

Illustration: Reardan, WA

How Do Bacteria Work?

Bacteria reproduce by a process called binary fission - one cell divides and becomes two. Some can reproduce at a very rapid rate under proper conditions. If food and moisture are adequate and the temperature is right, certain bacteria can reproduce in as little as twenty minutes. In only eight hours the original cell will have multiplied to nearly 17 million new bacteria.

The Bacta-Pur® Biotechnologies :

Bacta-Pur® biotechnological products contain communities of natural bacteria to improve water quality; the use of which assures the presence of appropriate strains of beneficial microorganisms for biodegradation of hydrocarbons, sludge reduction, BOD and grease removal, nitrification and denitrification. Bacta-Pur® biotechnological products contain beneficial communities of natural bacteria. All we do is grow them in the right proportions to create powerful teams that improve water quality and accelerate the transformation of organic wastes into bacterial biomass, carbon dioxide and water. EVERY PRODUCTION of Bacta-Pur® biotechnologies is analyzed and cleared for shipment only when CERTIFIED PATHOGEN FREE using techniques from the food industry. The Bacta-Pur® family of biotechnological products evolves as our research and development program and international experience leads into the twenty first century.

  Bacta-Pur® XLSW
To biodegrade soluble organic pollutants - BOD reduction as well as for sludge reduction in salt water (>5 ppt salinity).

  Bacta-Pur® XLG
To biodegrade fats and grease in waste water treatment and restaurant grease traps. Also for use in fresh water for sludge and BOD removal.

  Bacta-Pur® N3000
To nitrify and to denitrify and to help control eutrophication in fresh or salt water. The unique strains in N3000 can denitrify in the presence of oxygen as well as anaerobically. This means that nitrate accumulation and acidification are reduced.

  Bacta-Pur® H2000
To biodegrade hydrocarbons and other refractory products.

  Bacta-Pur® KLEAN DRAIN Institutional Strength
To biodegrade fats, grease, soap and scum in pipes and drains.

  Bacta-Pur® Bactivors®
The Bacta-Pur® BACTIVATORs® for commercial use are automatic systems, which continuously preactivate or precondition Bacta-Pur® biotechnologies.

Type of treatment

Nitrification / Denitrification

Two bacterial strains are involved in nitrification: Nitrosomonas, which converts ammonia into nitrite, and Nitrobacter, which converts nitrite into nitrate.

Nitrifying bacteria are very sensitive to environmental conditions; this is particularly true of Nitrobacter. Primary factors that can inhibit these bacteria include excessive soluble organics and low temperatures. A balanced population of heterotrophic bacteria is essential to control levels of soluble organic pollutants and for denitrification.

Bacta-Pur® N3000 was especially developed to include bacteria, which cannot only denitrify in an oxygenated environment, but can also use carbonate as the carbon source. In wastewater treatment this means that nitrate can be converted to nitrogen gas in the same process as nitrification rather than requiring strictly anoxic conditions in a separate part or time of the treatment.

BOD5 and Hydrocarbon Reduction

Efficient and complete BOD5 conversion requires a community of microorganisms working together where the by-products of one organism's metabolism serves as food for another organism. Lack of even one member of the essential microbial team will decrease treatment efficiency.

Bacta-Pur® XLG and "H" series products contain balanced communities of non-pathogenic microorganisms selected for their synergistic ability to biodegrade organic pollutants and hydrocarbons.

Sludge and Grease Reduction

Efficient organic sludge solubilization requires specific organisms for proteins, others for fat and still others for carbohydrates and cellulose.

Bacta-Pur® XLG assures the presence of a balanced community of strains, which can produce all essential enzymes to digest the different components of sludge from protein and lipids to carbohydrates and cellulose.

Algae Control

Algae control in a pond is directly related to nutrient control, which can only be done by creating a healthy pond ecosystem. It's why killing the algae using chimical doesn't solve the cause of the problem. Bacta-Pur® contains beneficial communities of natural soil and water bacteria and when used appropriately can be the base of nature's own food chain in a pond environment. The bacteria compete with algae for available nutrients. Bacta-Pur® is particularly effective when used in conjunction with an ADS aeration system. Having fully oxygenated water results in conditions that are more favorable for the bacteria (or animal side) than for algae. Creating "stressful" (limited available nutrients) conditions for the algae is what ultimately reduces the algae concentrations and allows for the development of a balanced ecosystem and ultimately a healthy pond.

Coliform Control

Natural, chemical-free fecal coliform and other pathogen control requires similar pond conditions as required for algae control. The key is to provide conditions that favor organisms and higher life forms that ultimately stress and prey on the coliform populations. Bacta-Pur® bacterial augmentation in conjunction with ADS aeration does this very effectively.

Why the Bacta-Pur® System is effective

Bacta-Pur® N3000 and XLG are two of the most concentrated bacterial cultures on the market with a the guaranteed minimal XLG cell count of 1x10" cells/ml, which is typically more than 1000 times other brands. Every production of Bacta-Pur® biotechnologies is analyzed and cleared for shipment only when certified pathogen free using techniques from the food industry.

Preactivation of Bacta-Pur® is used to increase the size of the community of the beneficial microorganisms on-site, prior to bringing the cultures in contact with the wastewater to be treated. The on-site growing and physiological engineering increase the population by approximately ten times and assures that:

   the microorganisms are in exponential growth upon addition to the water to be treated
   the concentration of the preactivated microorganisms is up to a million times more concentrated than background levels of microorganisms in the untreated wastewater

Each wastewater treatment system is a unique combination of equipment, water quality and operational procedures. Physical, chemical, and biological variables of the existing system need to be determined, in order to select the most cost-effective means to optimize the Bacta-Pur® System treatment efficiency.