Microbes greatly impact sewage treatment, accelerating processes and achieving excellent results for municipalities, facility managers, and business owners. This is where Chemtech’s Microbe Lift products can make a real difference, achieving cost savings without compromising effectiveness.
To shine some light on how this works and how effective it can be, we wanted to share a case study with you. Working with Whitemarsh Township in Pennsylvania, we were able to harness the capabilities of microbes in the sewage treatment process, bringing about significant improvements in efficiency, efficacy, and results. All of this was very well received by the municipality authorities and the local community. Read on to discover more about Microbe Lift products in action.
The Client
Whitemarsh Township is located by Lafayette Hill – one of the inner-ring suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With a history stretching back more than three centuries, the 14.53 square mile Montgomery County municipality has become well-known for its areas of open parkland and its fine transport links – including SEPTA rail and bus access, as well as close proximity to nearby highways.
This is a growing municipality – the population here increased from 16,702 in 2000 to 19,707 in 2020 – and local residents and business owners alike need a robust and reliable wastewater treatment system to support them in their daily lives. The local government administers Whitemarsh Township’s wastewater treatment system, and it was this local government that reached out to Chemtech in search of assistance.
The Problem
Fats, oils, and greases were causing significant problems within the wastewater collection system at Whitemarsh Township. These substances entered the wastewater system largely from domestic sources, clogging the municipal water treatment infrastructure and resulting in significant damage. Industrial facilities, and other sources, also contributed to the build-up of fats, oils, and greases within the system.
This build-up led to three main issues.
- Greases were found in increasing concentrations in multiple pump stations across the network, placing great strain on pump infrastructure.
- Pump stations produced a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide gases (H2S), resulting in noticeable odors that made life unpleasant for facility staff and local residents.
- At one pump station in particular, evidence of corrosion was identified – the corrosion led to the deterioration of concrete, reducing the active lifespan of the pump station.
All of this meant that the wastewater system was at risk of failure. The system could not provide a comprehensive solution to local residents, and repeated blockages and incidents of damage were harming the municipality’s budget.
The Solution
The authorities in Whitemarsh Township had heard about the Chemtech product range and about the high-quality results this range can achieve in industrial facilities and municipal wastewater centers. With these results in mind, the local authority reached out to us directly, describing the issues and giving us some insight into their problems.
We visited the Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, site to learn more about the situation. This allowed us to conduct further analysis and recognize the specifics of the situation. After evaluating the scale and nature of the problem at Whitemarsh Township, we recommended using our Microbe Lift IND product. This course of treatment brings together a number of different microbes to accelerate the biological degradation of compounds causing problems within Whitemarsh’s wastewater system. The main focus of the treatment was to reduce fats, oils, and greases within the wastewater collection system while also eliminating the hydrogen sulfide gas that was causing an unpleasant odor and putting public health at risk.
The treatment is also designed to remove ammonia from the wastewater system. Ammonia can be corrosive and damaging in higher concentrations and could have contributed to the deterioration of the concrete at the pump station.
It was hoped that these attributes of the Microbe Lift IND product would provide the solution Whitemarsh Township needed. In fact, the Microbe Lift product provides other benefits on top of this, changing the way in which the Township’s wastewater system operates. These benefits include:
- Enhancing solid settling within wastewater treatment plants and reducing total suspended solids (TSS)
- Improving the efficiency of biological oxygen debt (BOD) and chemical oxygen debt (COD) reduction.
- Boosting the efficacy of the system during cold weather periods.
- Degrading hydrocarbons and other difficult contaminants, producing CO2 and water that are easily dealt with.
- Improving nitrification efficiency.
- Generally helping to improve operation and maintenance across the whole system.
The Results
The first cycle of the Microbe Lift treatment lasted thirty days, and the facility’s operators reported impressive results even after this short period.
- Grease build-up was noticeably reduced at all pump station locations across the network. Caking of grease – which had been causing blockages – was effectively eliminated. Small deposits of residual grease were reported in manageable globule form.
- Grease build-up within force mains was broken down, reducing the strain on the drainage infrastructure. Residual grease was easily flushed out of the line.
- Hydrogen sulfide odors reduced drastically. The gas was no longer detectable by humans within the pump stations and surrounding areas.
- The chemical composition of the wastewater was altered, and no new instances of corrosion and deterioration were reported.
Use Microbe Life Products within Your Own Wastewater Treatment Facility
Whether you work for a municipal authority or your business operates its own wastewater treatment facility, you need to hit the mark for reliability and efficacy time and time again. Our Microbe Lift products can help you ensure this is the case, supporting effective operation while protecting the local community and the environment in your area. Check out our product pages to learn more about the various Microbe Lift solutions we offer, and reach out to our team directly if you have any questions or need a quote for your project.