Each year, the U.S. rendering industry recycles over 50 billion pounds of animal by-products from livestock, fish, poultry, spent cooking fats, oils, trimmings, bones, and other waste materials from slaughterhouses, processing facilities, supermarkets, and restaurants. Undoubtedly, the rendering process provides the most logical, biosecure, and environmentally acceptable approach for recycling inedible materials into usable commodities. The list of highly beneficial products produced from rendering includes feed, plastics, tires, anti-freeze, jet fuel, biofuel, perfumes, paint, soap, lubricants, glues, and more. The rendering process also contributes over $1 billion annually to the gross national product, therefore contributing to the communal well-being in ways that may be greatly underestimated.
As of late, the rendering industry has dealt with many regulatory issues, making rendering operations tedious and financially less attractive. One area of target is wastewater generated by the rendering process.
When selecting a wastewater treatment, the process must be carefully tailored to fit individual situations, especially small capacity systems. The one variable in biological wastewater treatment plants that has traditionally been outside the operator’s control is the quality of the plant biomass. Plant start-up and upset recovery require rapid response to maintain the stringent limits imposed by environmental discharge permits. Special environmental problems require sound biological solutions instead of traditional off-site disposal.
A bioaugmentation regimen for wastewater systems involves the introduction of specific microbes and enzymes on a continuous basis to establish a critical biomass containing bacterial diversity capable of biodegrading a consortium of organic compounds in the most effective manner. Enzymes biologically catalyze the breakdown of complex organic compounds into more readily available food sources for the microbes. The microbes consume and biodegrade organic matter in the wastewater, converting it into carbon dioxide, water, and energy for growth.
Well-designed and properly operated biological wastewater treatment plants provide optimum environments for microbial populations to utilize the nutrients in the influent wastewater. As long as basic requirements are met and maintained within a wastewater stream, the treatment objectives can usually be met very effectively. Problems arise when a plant becomes overloaded with a particular waste material or substrate, requiring considerable reaction time (i.e., hydraulic retention time) and a significantly greater population of indigenous microorganisms. In most instances, these critical parameters are absent, resulting in the complete failure of the wastewater treatment operation.
Effective Management Tool
Bioaugmentation puts the operator in control of the wastewater treatment plant by creating a shift in diversity, quantity, and quality of the microbial population. This shift produces dependable, sustainable, and predictable results. Bioaugmentation programs currently play a crucial role in managing municipal, industrial, and organic waste reduction processes with tremendous success.
The role of environmental biotechnology is to develop specific formulations (containing microorganisms and enzymes) to enhance effluent quality, ensure discharge compliance, increase overall plant capacity, promote the reliability of the plant operation, and reduce operating costs – safely and effectively.
United-Tech, Inc., is an environmental biotechnology company dedicated to solving a myriad of waste management issues in municipal, industrial, commercial, manufacturing, and production industries. These industries include food processing, rendering and kill plants, meat and poultry plants, petrochemical plants, oil and gas, ethanol plants, fertilizer plants, juice and beverage, and commercial aquaculture and fisheries operations. The company’s environmental efforts cover many industries, sectors, and businesses while demonstrating significant progress towards the goals of pollution prevention and environmental management.
With a unique blend of all-natural bacteria and enzyme formulas, United-Tech offers “all-natural alternatives to the use of chemicals” for waste control management. Health and safety have been diligently addressed in the development of its formulas. Product composition is 100 percent all natural and environmentally responsible using only U.S. Food and Drug Administration generally regarded as safe and/or American Association of Feed Control Officials-listed microorganisms and ingredients.
Bacteria Treatment Products
There are two formulas available – BZT, which is a bacteria enzyme treatment, and OBT, an oil bacteria treatment. Each formulation is specific in terms of the microbial components, enzymes, and treatment specifications. BZT Waste Digester and BZT Aquaculture are specifically used in rendering and other industrial wastewater treatments for biodegrading organic bottom sludge, break-down of heavy grease cap, and eliminating ammonia, nitrates, hydrogen sulfide, and odors. BZT products assist in meeting regulatory standards in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia, nitrate, hydrogen sulfide, etc., naturally and consistently.
Different enzymes present in the product breaks down large molecules of protein, lipid, and carbohydrates present in wastewater into smaller components for the microorganisms to readily use as a source of food. As the microbes start growing rapidly and increase in number exponentially, the rate of assimilation of organic waste materials also start accelerating and eventually results in the elimination of organic sludge from the wastewater treatment system. This process of bioremediation is more natural, safer, cleaner, and less costly compared to the alternatives. Organic waste reduction may take several days to weeks depending upon the build-up, flow rate, hydraulic retention time, and environmental factors for the microbes to grow and utilize the waste materials. Having more hydraulic retention time is very helpful to bring about predictable changes in the treatment system.
The OBT product on the other hand is specific towards petroleum hydrocarbon remediation in water and soil. It can also be used when the fat, oil, and grease (FOG) accumulation is severe. In order for the product to be uniquely effective on petroleum-based hydrocarbons (crude, gasoline, diesel, and other derivatives), specific enzymes and microbial strains are blended to make this product.
Ron Welcher, president, EnviroServ, Inc., has been managing a number of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment systems for many years with the help of BZT products. In his opinion, “BZT products have been an integral part of my success in removing odor, ammonia, organic bottom solids, and maintain compliance standards without struggle. Both products and the technical service we received are exemplary. I have no difficulty in meeting my treatment goals consistently.”
For many years, Darling International, Inc., has used the company’s BZT formulations in their multi-plant rendering operations. Mike Molini, vice president, Darling International, states, “Over the past five years, Darling International has utilized United-Tech’s BZT products and technical staff in a number of our facilities coast-to-coast to solve problems dealing with wastewater issues (such as bottom solids reduction; odor control; FOG reduction; and a number of other regulatory control issues). In every case, [their] products and staff were successful in helping to achieve the desired results.”
Below is a brief list of the benefits that can be achieved using the company’s all-natural BZT and OBT formulas:
• Significant reduction and prevention of organic bottom solids and sludge build-up, thereby increasing hydraulic load capacity, production capacity utilization, hydraulic retention time, and reliability;
• Significant reduction of BOD, COD, FOG, total organic carbon, and TSS levels down to compliance standards, improving overall plant capacity utilization and the elimination of ammonium-ammonia, nitrate, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and other odor-causing compounds;
• Biological stabilization of anaerobic and aerobic lagoons, clarifiers, and oxidation ditches, as well as numerous other wastewater treatment components, thereby increasing overall waste processing efficiency.
Long-term treatment of complete wastewater operations with biological products is proactive and advantageous in reducing potential encounters with non-compliance issues and eliminating major capital spending, either for dredging or for the generation of new lagoons, ponds, or containment systems. Such products help meet regulatory compliance and facilitate the maintenance of acceptable environmental standards in a cost-effective and highly efficient manner.
October 2003 Render