Basic Guide for Biological Treatments
With Bio-Aguas Powder and Bio-Septicos Liquid

Application of biological material

It is essential to take into account that in these biological materials there is a great concentration of living organisms that become active and mobile when entering in contact with water. Generally, larger scale treatments are a combination of solids and liquids. Liquids are applied initially as part of a shock dose and are combined and followed up by solids. The person doing the treatment should pay special attention to the following factors at the site:   

•    Being a live product, the larger the dose and more extensive the distribution will increase the speed and effect of the treatment
•    It is often optimal to add live products at the beginning of the system through which waters flow so they will extend throughout its waters, cement pores, areas where they will accumulate, etc.
•    There is an ideal dose for each situation which will bring about the change in the microbial population and the rotting process will be transformed to fermentation; an accurate estimate is key
•    The treatment will probably be more effective the longer the product interacts with the material to be decomposed, for this reason applications are done early or late in the day or before a day off when there will be less movement of water and material when there is more humidity in the air and lower temperature (direct sunlight may damage the products)
•    If these materials are applied at the same time as chemical biocide discharges they generally still have an impact though will require larger doses.

Powder

Bio-Aguas  Is a highly concentrated, stable mixture dominated by fungi, with capacity to buffer themselves against chemicals for eliminating bacteria, etc. It is applied usually by hand or cup, sprinkled over the largest possible surface area, such as inside a septic tank or on grease trap surfaces. It can be stored for over a year.

Liquid

Bio-Sépticos liquid  A “cocktail” of activated microorganisms, mainly bacteria. It is applied by sprayer or poured pure or diluted in tanks and over surfaces and ditches. The advantages of liquid are that it can be widely distributed and that it is already activated when applied.
The disadvantages of liquids are that they are more labor intensive to spray, require a sprayer, their effect tends to be shorter than that of solids, and they are less resistant to chemicals like chlorine.  Also, if not used within 6 months liquids tend to alter in content and smell stronger.

Dosage

There are many ways to calculate doses. The table illustrates doses calculated according to the size of the area or quantity of water to be treated. Quantities on the table are simply multiplied by the number of individual units, for example, if each bathroom of a hotel needs 200 grams of material per month, if there are 10 rooms the hotel needs 2 kilos of material. There is a larger dose at the beginning, and a reinforcement dose which is generally half the original quantity which is added at periodic intervals. Generally, reinforcement commences when the desired effect has been achieved, often the first time and also often after several months. There are cases when a constant high dose is maintained, generally when large quantities of chemicals are flowing in.

In some cases doses are calculated according to the amount of use facilities receive. One can estimate 40 grams per month per person when tanks are used by many people. Experience in doing treatments and calculating doses are essential to estimate the amount of material needed to solve a problem, since there are very diverse variables affecting each situation.

Evaluation of Results

The evaluation table summarizes the results of treatments according to three indicators: smell, color and the condition the solids are in. Normally, smell is the key indicator to be evaluated in a basic inspection. Many treatment plants analyze their effluent regularly and an effective treatment will evidence an improvement in parameters of biological and chemical oxygen demand, though perhaps there will be a short term outflow of solids followed by a drastic decrease. 

Calculating and applying quantities of material

Septic tanks: an office with 50 employees and 5 toilets where the tank’s dimensions are not known
•    If dose is calculated per toilet, 200 grams per month each, or 1 kilo
•    If dose is calculated per person, estimate 20 grams  x  50 = 1 kg
Solids and liquids are distributed by hand, sprayer and pouring directly over the layer of solids in the tank, or the dose is split and added in each toilet. The latter is preferable when there is an odor problem in the bathroom itself. In this case of public bathrooms often the original dose is maintained monthly. Hotels that have low season will often continue using larger doses in high season and lower them to about half dose in low season.

Grease traps: for a large restaurant with odor problems
•    Bio-Septicos liquid is sprayed or poured over grease each week, and in areas infiltrated with greasy waters
•    Bio-Aguas powder is sprinkled in a thick layer (covering grease layer completely) over grease once a week and when traps are cleaned manually in order to eliminate gases.
•    Daily reinforcement of microorganisms is done by putting one or two tablespoons of powder in each sink when kitchen closes or opens
Cesspools: a 10x10 meter pool = 100m2 requires:
•    40 liters of liquid (2 liters of Bio-Sépticos with 1 liter of molasses in a barrel for 3 days to ferment and later apply a half barrel per day with a sprayer)
•    100 grams of Bio-Aguas powder per square meter x 100 = 10 kg the first month (applied all at once or 2.5kg weekly in a solids separator or on the surface of the water