I have noticed in my controlled aeration tests that BioSeptiClean (BSC) will dissolve material already settled out in the liquid and puts it back into suspension. This is great for cleaning of pump lines and septic fields, but not so good if you wish settled and floating material to remain trapped in a tank, and not be dissolved and sent to the septic field. I assume BSC has a strong detergent property to it encouraging particulate to remain in suspension?
I did notice in the aeration experiment in two 18L water jugs that 4 capfulls of BSC started showing signs of processing 24hrs earlier than the jug that received aeration only, and settled material began to settle out on the bottom more quickly than the other jug. This excited me as it showed accelerated booster abilities to the aeration process. However when a second dosing of 4 cap fulls a few days later, all the settled material disappeared and was resuspended in the liquid and would not settle out much in a sample left sitting in a glass beaker. (This means that I would have to be excessively accurate with the dosing if I did not wish to dissolve already trapped particles, or encourage suspended particles to settle out)
Do you have a product that will assist forced air aeration process, (with its molecular oxygen) but does not have the detergent properties of BSC, and thus will permit effluent to settle out its particles in a clarifier tank; so that the liquid pumped to a field is clear. Using BSC within regular processing would clean out the tanks, aeration chamber, clarifiers and send the material on to the drainage field. (OK if the intended job is to clean pipes and field, but not for normal operations when you wish to encourage particulate mater to settle out and be captured in settling tanks.)
Is there a difference between BSC and Bio Magic500? or are they essentially the same product?
BioOdorStop. Would it be more appropriate for Trash tank and Aeration Tank combos where I need assistance with odor control, and oxygen supplement, but leave trapped matter alone?
I have 4 cases of the BSC which I will use for cleaning pump lines and drainage fields, but I think I need something else, with less detergent/ particle dissolving properties, for adding to the regular treatment process
What are your thoughts
Paul Morgan
On 6-May-10, at 8:23 AM, Paul Alfrey wrote:
Letter to Paul Morgan
The information you have about the detergent is not fully correct.
BSC has a wetting agent that is about 0.01% of the product.
The wetting agent if used in a stronger concentration is classified as a surfactant and is used in many detergents
We actually only need the reduction of the surface tension to allow the water to cover the surface of solids in order that the bacteria can digest the solids more rapidly.
We use a little over two (2) quarts of the wetting agent per 5,000 gallons of product. To get the action that you are describing using a surfactant would require that we increase the surfactant to about 5% not the 0.01% now used. A surfactant this strong would disqualify the product in most waste water applications.
The action that you are seeing is the normal aerobic bacterial action
1...The bacterial when strongly activated will break up the larger particles of the solids and the smaller size will allow the smaller stuff to suspend
2...Changing the bacteria to the aerobic condition produces CO2 The bacteria use the solids as a host and food source while digesting the solids. The CO2 produced tends to float the solids. When we dose a pond that has been untreated long enough for solids to accumulate at the bottom, large chunks of solids will float to the surface. Given the time, the bacteria will dissolve the solids
3...In a septic tank sewage system, the size of the tank is set to allow digestion of the solids before the liquid goes to the disposal field. When BSC is used in a septic system, some of the fine matter may be in the liquid that is transferred to the disposal field. The aerobic bacteria will digest all the organic matter including FOG (fats, oils and grease) and clean up and restore the ability of the disposal field to work as designed.
4....In a case where aeration is used to supply the DO, the aeration generally is much more concentrated at the top of the water. BSC will take liquid uniformly aerobic, the bottom of the liquid as well as the top will be aerobic. The solids at the bottom normally do not become aerobic unless the liquid is strongly agitated.
In the mechanically aerated aerobic waste water industry processing, several techniques are used to solve the situations you are describing.
They use strong agitation, like a pump that sucks off of the bottom and is discharged as a waterfall that allows aeration. Or they use aeration jets built into the bottom of the container. The aeration bubbles carry the liquid up and allows the bottom part of the liquid to become aerobic.
To cope with the small particles, the use of various FLOCCULATES or COAGULANTS are used to allow the small floating mater to settle out in the CLARIFIER SECTION OF THE PROCESS.
I am sure that if you allow the bacteria the time, you will see the small stuff digest and the end product is a liquid
If you wish to learn more about the aerobic action in waste water, I recommend the book "Basic Environmental Technology" by Jerry Nathanson.
All of our products are the same basic formula. We vary the blend and leave out some components for specialized applications. BSC and BioMagic are very similar.
Making a product for a general use requires that we make the product work in just about all situation where the product might be used.
The test that you are running are good test. Just remember that the little organisms that we call bacteria have been doing and perfecting the ability to digest for longer than I know. As good as they have become, their action still takes a bit of time.
I hope this answers you questions. Please do not hesitate to ask what ever you need.
Paul Alfrey