Permit exceedances on BOD, ammonia and phosphorus are among the most common challenges a treatment plant faces. They often follow a disruption to the biological process, such as a toxic shock from industrial discharge, a cold-weather slowdown in microbial activity, a slug load or the washout of biomass after a flow event. Whatever the cause, the result is effluent that no longer meets permit limits and the pressure to correct it quickly.
What Bioaugmentation Does
Bioaugmentation is the targeted addition of specialized bacterial strains and enzymes to a treatment system. Operators introduce concentrated, application-specific organisms that rebuild biomass and restore treatment capacity faster than a stressed microbial population would recover on its own. WWW™ ArxZyme™ products are available in liquid, powder and block formats, and are formulated for the anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic zones of the process.
How to Match Products to Compliance Problems
For broad loss of treatment capacity, ArxZyme BioReinforcement introduces mixed liquor strains along with phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs), which support both biomass recovery and biological phosphorus removal. It also improves flocculation and settling, which helps control solids carryover.
For ammonia exceedances, ArxZyme Nitrifiers deliver Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter strains — the organisms responsible for nitrification — with demonstrated ammonia removal rates up to 1,200 mg/L/hr. For high organic loading, ArxZyme offers a blend formulated to accelerate BOD removal through targeted microbial reinforcement.
Addressing the conditions around the biology, supporting products like ArxZyme biostimulants and the MicroNutri micronutrient supplement optimize nutrient balance and F:M ratios to improve the performance of existing organisms, while the biological Defoamer provides foam control and FOG reduction.
What to Expect
In a typical toxic shock scenario, such as an industrial influx that suppresses the microbial population and drives up ammonia, a combined approach of Nitrifiers, BioReinforcement and micronutrient support can re-establish nitrification within about 48 hours. These products also reduce ammonia and BOD within roughly 72 hours, and restore normal performance within a week. Results vary with the system and the severity of the upset, but rapid response is a defining characteristic of bioaugmentation.
A Tool That Fits Any Compliance Strategy
Bioaugmentation works alongside capital improvements, equipment upgrades and process optimization. For a plant facing a compliance deadline, it adds a fast-acting response with no capital expenditure. It can stabilize a process while longer-term projects are planned or built, or serve as a standalone correction for a temporary upset.
To find the right ArxZyme blend for your plant's specific compliance challenge, contact the World Water Works team.
