|
Return to News Article List
EM AND WASTE WATER REMEDIATION EXPLAINED
by Jason Anthony
EM AND WASTE WATER REMEDIATION EXPLAINED
Through 10 years of research and development, SCD (technology partner of Efficient Microbes South Africa) has selected 16 different microbial strains for production of various probiotic products. These include lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus; yeast such as Saccharomyces; phototrophic bacteria such as Rhodopseudomonas; Actinomyces such as Streptomyces; and other beneficial bacteria such as Bacillus. This consortium culture of microorganisms synergistically work to inhibit the growth of pathogenic harmful bacteria through competitive exclusion (Hieu and Tho, 2002). In addition to competitive exclusion effects, the microbial metabolites and their chemical characteristics contribute to its antimicrobial properties.
Wastewater treatment including sewage treatment, or domestic waste treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater, both runoff (effluents) and domestic (Wikipedia, 2008). It includes physical, chemical and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants. Its objective is to produce a waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste or sludge suitable for discharge or reuse back into the environment. This material is often inadvertently contaminated with many toxic organic and inorganic compounds. Waste water typically has a high level of pathogens, suspended solids (SS), protein, mineral salt and chemical compounds. This makes the treatment of waste water extremely difficult without the use of chemicals. High contents of organic matter can lead to the formation of malodours as well as the degradation of sulphur, phosphate, and nitrogen.
The primary purpose of waste water treatment is to remove the suspended and soluble organic constituents measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) as well as to reduce faecal coliform. The species in EM Technology, including Lactobacillus, Yeast, Rhodopseudomonas and other beneficial species, have been shown to reduce total coliform counts in wastewater facilities by 80% after 4 months of treatment (Quang, 2006). This is a dramatic reduction in total coliforms. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present in EM Technology has antimicrobial effects which have been recognized and appreciated for thousands of years (Savadogo et al., 2004). The metabolites from LAB have shown anti-microbial ability in some studies. Depending on the environment, nutrition and type of species, they can produce lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, CO2 (as carbonic acid), H2O2, (Hydrogen peroxide) derivatives of lactic acid (hydroxyl lactic acid), and small peptides (such as bacteriocins) (Ray, 2000; Nes and Holo, 2002). These antimicrobial agents can either inhibit or kill target microorganisms such as moulds, yeasts, coliforms, vegetative bacteria, bacterial spores, and even viruses.
The microbes in EM Technology are a consortium of microbes (as mentioned previously) and are able to coexist based on their metabolic properties. The yeasts have the ability to assimilate glucose as a substrate and produce pyruvic acid through metabolism of the saccharide decomposed system. Pyruvic acid can be used as a substrate of micro-aerobic lactic acid bacteria. In this way, if the lactic acid bacteria using the metabolite of yeast multiply, the formed lactic acid becomes the substrate of photosynthetic bacteria and they can be multiplied. Then yeast uses the saccharides formed by these photosynthetic bacteria as a substrate and can multiply repeatedly (Kim). This implicates that the microbes in EM Technology continue to aid each other to keep alive and stay strong in the environment. Each group of microbes has other properties which make them effective and help to explain why EM Technology is in turn so effective. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce lactic acid as the major metabolic end product of carbohydrate fermentation (Wikipedia, 2008). LAB are also characterized by an increased tolerance to a lower pH range (Wikipedia, 2008). This enables LAB to outcompete other bacteria in a natural fermentation, as they can withstand the increased acidity from organic acid production (Wikipedia, 2008). Through the metabolism of LAB, CO2 (carbon dioxide) is formed. This is used by other species in the consortia as a source of energy to their own metabolic systems, e.g. phototrophic bacteria.
The yeast and phototrophic bacteria are known as heterotrophic bacteria, meaning they use organic substrates to get carbon for their growth and development. Heterotrophic bacteria can reproduce in as little as 15 minutes to 1 hour (Biocon Labs). In waste water facilities, solid organic, nitrogenous, waste material (a.k.a. sludge) is converted to ammonia through a process called mineralization (Biocon Labs), which leads to the putrefactive odours. The process of mineralization is simply where a substance is converted from an organic substance into an inorganic substance, therefore becoming mineralized. Sources of such waste material (sludge) are from faecal material, the decay of plant and animal tissues and from the decay of excess food, all of which are included when discussing waste water facilities (Biocon Labs). When there is no organic nitrogen source in a system, heterotrophic bacteria utilize ammonia and break it down into less harmful compounds which are not putrefactive.
Bacteria, such as Bacillus are also very resilient in the environment due to their heat resistance characteristics and spore-forming abilities, which help to increase shelf-life. Phototrophic bacteria (or PNSB) are capable of using both organic and inorganic materials as hydrogen donors throughout their growth cycle. The ability of PNSB species to use hydrogen sulphide, which is toxic, and convert it into non-poisonous compounds is also very beneficial in the waste water industry (Kobayashi).
Some wastewater treatment facilities use oxygen injections which aid in the reduction of hydrogen sulphide; however these injections do not work enough to completely eliminate the foul, putrefactive odours. In one case, after replacing oxygen injections with EM Technology, the hydrogen sulphide levels decreased significantly and oxygen injections were discontinued (Boyd, 1999). The results seen included the immediate reduction of odours within 24 hours. This is due to the ability of microbes present in the EM Technology to degrade various organic compounds.
Furthermore, high amounts of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and suspended solids (SS) result in water pollution which can further lead to plant and water life death if the water is pumped into a stream or river (Wididana, 2006). BOD is the procedure for determining how fast biological organisms use up oxygen in a body of water. COD is the amount of organic compounds in the water. Both are measures of water quality and frequently measured in waste water treatment. By using EM Technology, studies conducted in Indonesia showed reductions of COD, BOD and SS of 40%-50%, 42%-55% and 44%-71% respectively (Wididana, 2006). EM Probiotic Technology was applied periodically every 10 days. The microbes were able to ferment the organic matter resulting in the formation of simpler organic compounds, such as amino acids, alcohols, sugars and organic acids that are more beneficial and not harmful to the surrounding environment. This results in a reduction of COD, BOD and SS that typically would result in putrefactive odours.
The phototrophic bacteria in EM Technology also have an extremely important role for waste water management due to their ability to degrade organic compounds. They can oxidize NH3 (Ammonia) and use the natural sunlight as a source of energy and CO2 as a source of carbon (Wididana, 2006). As mentioned earlier, by having multiple types of bacteria in one culture, EM Technology products are able to degrade various organic compounds, rather than one single strain of microorganism. When levels of BOD, COD, and SS increase, this increase indicates a decrease in oxygen which releases foul odour. When these levels are extremely high, the organic compounds cannot be degraded biologically alone (Wididana, 2006). EM Technology can aid in this problem by digesting the organic compounds and releasing beneficial by-products, such as amino acids as mentioned previously.
References:
1. Boyd, Julie CR. 1999. Blanket Pre-Treatment: An Innovative Solution to Some Age-Old Problems, Mackay City Council, Queensland, Australia. Kyusei Nature Farming Proceeding 6th, Pretoria, South Africa, 102-109.
2. Biocon Labs. 2008. Autotrophic vs. Heterotrophic Bacteria, Fritz Industries, World Wide Web: http://www.bioconlabs.com/autoheterobac.html
3. Environmental Protection Agency. 2001. Total Coliform Rule.
4. Hieu, Phan Knac and Tho, Bui Thi. 2002. Application of EM1 (Effective Microorganisms) for Treatment of Diarrheic Disease in Piglets in Vietnam.Kyusei Nature Farming Proceeding, 7th, Christchurch, New Zealand, 105-107.
5. Kim, M.C., W.S. Kim and H.G. Ryang. Mixed culture of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms under similar conditions, Institute of Plant Physiology, Korea.
6. Kobayashi, M and M. Kobayashi. Roles of Phototrophic bacteria and their utilization. Purification of Wastewater by Phototrophic bacteria.
7. Nes, I.F. and Holo, H. 2002. Unmodified peptide-bacteriocin (class II) produced by lactic acid bacteria. In Peptide Antibiotics, C.J. Dutton, M.A. Haxell, H.A.I. McArthur and R.G. Wax (Ed.), Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY, 81-115.
8. Quang, Dr. Le Khac. Utilization of EM technology for overcoming some environmental problems in Vietnam, EM Technology Database, 2006.
9. Ray, B. 2000. Fundamental Food Microbiology, 2nd ed, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 109, 222, 269.
10. Savadogo, A., Ouattara, A. T. C., Bassole H. N. I., Traore, S. A. 2004. Antimicrobial Activities of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Isolated from Burkina Faso Fermented Milk. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 3(3):174-179.
11. Springer Link. 2008. The Phototrophic bacteria and their role in the sulfur cycle. World Wide Web: http://www.springerlink.com/content/h871337286971620
12. Wididana, Gede Ngurah. Preliminary Experiment of EM Technology on Waste Water Treatment, Indonesian Kyusei Nature Farming Society, Indonesia, EM Technology Database, 2006.
13. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2008. Lactic Acid Bacteria. Available online at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acid_bacteria
14. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2008. Probiotic. Available online at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic
HISTORY OF EM
Throughout the 1970s and 80s Dr. Higa pioneered the research that led to the development and commercialization of EM technology. This natural biotechnology has since been successfully commercialized throughout world markets in human health, agriculture, livestock and industrial waste treatment. Thousands of research and efficacy studies have been conducted and documented in projects, conferences and books around the world.
Originally, EM was developed for use in agriculture (crop farming) as an alternative to agricultural chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. EM however is not a conventional fertilizer and unlike the purpose of fertilizers, the purpose of EM is to increase the number of beneficial microorganisms in the soil. This improves the soil's microbial health and promotes a healthy environment for plants. It can also be used as a processing tool to manufacture organic fertilizers.
From crop farming, its application flowed naturally into livestock. EM is actively used in livestock operations, including hog, cattle/dairy, and poultry. From livestock, the positive effects on the livestock waste and effluent into lagoons and rivers led to the use of EM for environmental purposes: from land/soil remediation to water purification. EM environmental applications throughout the world have included cleaning polluted waterways, lakes and lagoons, in septic systems, municipal wastewater treatment plants, and landfills/dump sites. As EM became used extensively in livestock, research began into its use as a functional food supplement for human health. It was discovered that EM exhibits very beneficial effects as an antioxidant and probiotic on the digestive system.
ABOUT EFFICIENT MICROBES SOUTH AFRICA
Efficient Microbes is a privately registered company dedicated to the use of natural microbial-based products and services for human health, agriculture, livestock and environmental sustainability.
Efficient Microbes has its head office in Durban, South Africa, with a sales office in Johannesburg and a wide network of distributors based throughout Southern Africa. Efficient Microbes is committed to the consumer and to the environment, and offers the most effective and environmentally friendly solutions to a large number of problems that are normally solved with medicines or harsh chemicals.
Efficient Microbes entered the human health market in South Africa three years ago and, through the success of EM products in dealing with a wide range of health issues, now distributes product through pharmaceutical wholesalers and independent health stores, contract manufactures products for a number of major local health companies and also manufactures the product for use in food programs in Southern Africa.
Efficient Microbes also manufactures EM products for use in agriculture, the rearing of livestock and environmental remediation, with increased focus over the past 12 months in the areas of poultry, dairy cattle and agriculture.
|
Return to News Article List
|