Bioaugmentation

Home » Bioaugmentation

Bioaugmentation

Bioaugmentation is the addition of a specially prepared bacterial culture to a bioreactor (aeration tank, oxidation ditch, etc.). The goal of bioaugmentation includes objectives such as:

1. increasing the density of more desirable bacteria.
2. achieving a specific operational goal such as degrading complex organic compounds,
3. increasing the overall organic removal rate,
4. recovering from an upset in the biological treatment system.

Industrial wastewater operators are faced with difficult operating conditions and stringent discharge permits that challenge the capability of their wastewater treatment plant. Under these conditions bioaugmentation can be a cost-effective, short-term, or medium-term solution to maintain effluent compliance until system changes and/or plant upgrades can be implemented. In other cases, bioaugmentation can be a long-term, cost-effective solution because of the lack of capital funds and the expense of system upgrades which often requires an expansion of the biological treatment system.

In addition to bioaugmentation, USP Technologies has the capability to test the existing biomass of your process to determine the actual bacteria population. The ability to know the exact types and quantities of bacteria in your system will help optimize the existing process and establish a baseline to assist in the diagnosis of future issues.