Operators of sewerage systems know that grease in lift stations is a major problem. The grease obstructs floats and reduces the life of pumps leading to SSO's and a need for frequent service. Obstruction by grease is the most prevalent cause of force main backups and sewage overflows, costing the industry billions of dollars annually. The majority of sewer line blockages are caused by grease build-up as opposed to debris.

Recalcitrant long chain fatty acids make up approximately 80% of grease deposits found in lines and grease traps and require extensive physical cleaning to avoid blockages, odors, and the passage of grease in effluents to be re-deposited downstream. Bioaugmentation has been used to break down difficult to degrade substances preventing them from causing blockages, odors, or accumulations downstream. In field tests on grease traps and lift stations this technology has demonstrated a visible difference in the elimination of grease build-ups in trial periods shorter than one month.

Biological treatment with Environmental Leverage is a simple, efficient and cost effective remedy against grease in collection systems and wastewater treatment plants. These products contain a specially formulated range of adapted high-performance microorganisms developed for use in the biological wastewater treatment of greases, fats and oils. As well as microorganisms, our products contain surface tension depressants and penetrants, which loosen and liquefy heavy grease deposits, thereby assisting in their biodegradation. For Grease and Sewer control, the products also contain specialty penetrants and surfactants, which loosen and liquefy heavy grease deposits, thereby assisting in their biodegradation

Benefits to Sewer Line

Dramatically reduces line blockages
Improves flow
Reduces maintenance costs
Lowers corrosion on pipes due to sulfate
Helps control noxious odors
Eliminates the need for personnel to handle unsafe chemicals
Eliminates, or dramatically reduces the need for line jetting, rodding or
Vac trucks for sewer grease control
Lower grease disposal costs
No pre-mixing, pre-measuring or pre-soaking

Benefits to Lift Station

Dramatically reduces sewer grease build-up
Lowers electricity usage in pumps
Reduces maintenance costs
Lowers corrosion due to sulfate
Eliminates the need for personnel to handle unsafe chemicals
No pre-mixing, pre-measuring or pre-soaking
Inexpensive, Safe and easy to use
50-70% FOG reductions are the norm over a 3 month period
Prevents Sewage Backup And Reduces Sludge Production

Benefits to Activated Sludge System

Dramatically reduces grease build-up 50-70%

FOG reductions are the norm over a 3 month period

Increase in oxygen transfer efficiency

Lower Operating Costs

Reduces Sludge Production

Lowers Solids Handling Costs

Helps Systems Meet NPDES Permit Requirements

Lowers electricity usage in pumps

Reduces maintenance costs

Lowers corrosion due to sulfate

Enhance biological activity

Improve the reduction of BOD, COD, and TSS in final effluent

Eliminates the need for personnel to handle unsafe chemicals

No pre-mixing, pre-measuring or pre-soaking

Inexpensive, Safe and easy to use

Compare this treatment approach to traditional cleaning/pumping/hauling costs of thousands of dollars or in-ground repair costs of tens of thousands! And there is no guarantee that the same grease-related headaches won’t crop up again and again at the very same location after traditional maintenance. Traditional “remedies” don’t solve the problem but act more like a Band-Aid, because the same contributors to the system will keep pouring the same grease down their drains & disposals, perpetuating the same scenario over and over again. Bioaugmentation is a proven and PROACTIVE approach to naturally degrade these clogging wastes at their biological source, and prevent future buildups/failures.

Lift Station before and after Bioaugmentation Program

Prior to Bioaugmentation program- heavy grease and solids

Lift stations commonly end up with build-ups of grease that can create a ring around the lift station, collection build-up on pumps, chains, floats, sidewalls, etc. This can cause mechanical problems, cause plugging, interrupt service and cause terrible odors. Operators know what that means: jetting the lines, pumping & hauling off the grease at high costs, or even digging up and replacing a wet well and/or feeder lines at extremely high capital costs.

Fats, oils and grease are typically the cause of many problems. Grease is "hydrophobic," which means it prefers to cling to surfaces that are free of water. Large amounts of oil and grease in the wastewater that goes down a drain can cause sewer lines to clog sewer lift station failures, wastewater treatment plant problems and environmental concerns. Grease typically will build from the top down or around the sidewalls and at the water level in the sewer line while heavier debris may collect on the bottom as the wastewater flows through the sewer line. Grease can continue to build up and restrict the flow of wastewater. Sometimes, a layer may break off and large pieces can create plugging downstream. Eventually, grease will form a total blockage in the sewer line if left untreated.

Grease is one waste that the sewer system cannot handle and therefore needs to be kept out of the system, but most often is not. An additional concern is that since the government raised the temperature required by restaurants and food establishments from 180 F to ~210 F, grease traps are not working as designed and grease that used to be trapped onsite is now washing through the lines until the temperature of the water cools down and then hardening later on. This usually happens somewhere in the lines or in the lift station.

Biological additives are a safe, natural environmental friendly way to help assist in the cleaning up of a lift station, but they are not miracle workers. There is a limit to what they can do, how they do it and when they will work. Bacteria can naturally degrade the fats, oils and grease, as well as any other organic materials that enter a lift station of pipe. They actually consume these as a food source, as opposed to traditional methods of surfactants, enzymes or chemicals that may have eliminated the grease in the lift station, but just transferred them down the pipe and eventually into the wastewater treatment plant and can cause upset conditions. Biological products cannot in a realistic time degrade some of the solids such as plastics, condoms, etc. that wind up in the lift station. Some of these eventually build up and must be mechanically removed.

Bacteria not only clean the lift stations if properly applied, they can help clean up the lines and can lighten the load at the treatment plant and reduce solids or help with BOD and TSS loading. Again, it is all in the program addition, conditions such as flow, temperature and loading that impact whether a program will impact just the lift station, the pipes or the treatment plant. The correct dosing and application will impact different variables and determine the impact on all three places. In the past, bacterial vendors or sanitary workers worried only about the lift station. Cleaning up the grease and quickly was the only concern. High levels of bacteria were added to the lift station. This may have cleaned up the lift station, but it just moved the grease down the pipes, clogged up the lines and caused high foaming at the treatment plant. Newer more conservative methods are now used to successfully dose a biological program in a lift station. Slower is better, although many people are anxious and say the product is not working.

What are signs that the product is working-

 Foaming in the lift station- white foam at first shows the bugs are in a high growth phase, as the foam turns to a light brown, they are getting a little older. 

Are there signs of the grease softening? 
 
Are there visible signs of cracks in what was once a solid surface?
 
Make sure the biological product is in the water and not just sitting on top of the grease shelf. The product cannot jump out of the water-soluble bag. It needs some access to the water in order to move around, below and above the grease.  Try adjusting the water levels in the lift station and move the float a bit higher.
 
If there is a grease ledge, this is very important, since the water level must be a bit higher for a short period of time to allow the bacteria access to this grease and not just during high flows.
 
Spaces between the grease, white coloring of the water, some softening and foaming show the product is starting to work.
 
More free space in the lift station, cleaner lines and floats show the product is doing a good job and on the way to a cleaner lift station.

These have been called "Floating Turtles"- Hard solid formations that float around in the lift station. These can interfere with the pumps and can clog the pipes.  Sometimes using a liquid product to spray on these can help reduce their size and shrink them faster.
 
Raising or lowering the float will not impact situations with turtles.

Cracks starting to form in thick hardened grease
 
Application of product is improper here, pink product all over the top of the grease and not really in contact with the water
White milky water indicating bacteria is starting to work, cracks are starting to form in the grease; it is starting to soften and a little foaming is present. 

For additional information on Biological products that can be used to help overcome upset conditions or other problem issues or even just to help the plant recover faster.

This is the same lift station as above after a biological program with our products! The majority of the grease is gone, there is clear, free running water!

What is growing in your Collection System?

Bioaugmentation Solutions for Lift stations, Wet Wells and Collection Systems

MicroBlock-Solid block biological products that are specifically formulated and packaged for use in lift stations and large restaurant grease traps to remove grease build-up and help increase degradation capabilities.

Lift Station Formulation-MicroClear 207 bacterial formulation is used for softening and degrading food type fat, oils and grease in lift stations but can also be used in any high grease environment.

Restaurant formulation-This biological product is a high strength formulation developed to degrade fats oils and grease quickly. It can be used in restaurants, grease traps and drain fields where food based grease is a problem.

Sewer formulation-This product is an improved biological product, specifically formulated and packaged for use in sewers to help degrade grease build-up and stop blockage.

Wastewater Lift Stations