REMOVE INDUSTRIAL WASTES WHERE CHEMICALS FAIL
Bioremediation is the use of microbes to clean up waste. This green biotechnology is totally safe and highly effective.
We use natural microbes – principally bacteria – that live in the environment and put them to work digesting wastes. In addition to Fats, Oils and Greases bioremediation can deal with contamination with oil and other petroleum products, solvents, and pesticides.
THE PROBLEM:
Oils – whether of mineral or vegetable origin – are very problematic to deal with. Because they don’t mix with water they are difficult to biodegrade. Most carwashes, truck and bus washes are required to recycle wash water which gets contaminated with petrol, diesel and other oils.
Radicle’s biological oil degrader digests longer-chain hydrocarbon oils and produces natural surfactants to improve wash performance. It can be dosed automatically into interceptor tanks to dramatically improve wash quality.
Performance
Our mix of strains are selected for their prolific enzyme production and their tolerance across a broad range of temperature, pH and salinity. Facultatively anaerobic.
| Typical Properties | |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiple Bacillus spp. |
| Form | Endospores |
| Effective temp range | 5°C-50°C (40°F-120°F) |
| Effective pH range | 5.5 – 9.5 |
| Bacterial activity | Facultative (growth with or without the presence of oxygen) |
| Enzyme production | Amylases, Protease, Lipase, Urease, Cellulase |
‘Monday Morning Tank’
In a car, truck or bus wash, when the machinery has stood idle – for example over a weekend – and is switched on again for the first time, the sulphur-digesting bacteria that live in the anoxic sludge in the tank get disturbed.
This characteristic smell is called ‘Monday Morning Tank’.
Aside from being incredibly unpleasant it’s also dangerous – hydrogen sulphide gas causes a wide range of health effects. Workers are primarily exposed to hydrogen sulfide by breathing it. The effects depend on how much hydrogen sulfide you breathe and for how long. Exposure to very high concentrations can quickly lead to death.
Using friendly bacteria to control the sulphur-reducing bacteria that produce hydrogen sulphide (H2S) isn’t just about wash quality and air quality – it’s also a safety issue.
| Concentration (ppm) |
Effects |
|---|---|
| 0.01-1.5 | Odour threshold (when rotten egg smell is first noticeable). |
| 2-5 | Prolonged exposure may cause nausea, tearing of the eyes, headaches or loss of sleep. Airway problems (bronchial constriction) in some asthma patients. |
| 20 | Possible fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, irritability, poor memory, dizziness. |
| 50-100 | Conjunctivitis and respiratory tract irritation after 1 hour. May cause digestive upset and loss of appetite. |
| 100-150 | Loss of smell (olfactory fatigue or paralysis). |
| 500-700 | Staggering, collapse in 5 minutes. Serious damage to the eyes in 30 minutes. Death after 30-60 minutes. |
| 700-1000 | Rapid unconsciousness, “knockdown” or immediate collapse within 1 to 2 breaths, breathing stops, death within minutes. |
The Benefits
Oil-Stained Floors
Our oil-digesting products are ideal for use non-porous, painted floors and porous floors like concrete that have a build-up of waste oil. Applied regularly with a mop or scrubber the bacteria eat away at the oils right into the floor – and keep going until all the oil is digested. Ideal for workshops, garages, engineering shops and all industrial premises.
Truck, Bus and Car Washes
The same laws regarding the discharge of Fats, Oils and Greases from kitchens to the sewer apply equally to vehicle washing equipment. Generally these are fitted with an interceptor tank to reduce pollution and effluent charges. This generally includes a water recycling system – again to save water and effluent charges and has the added advantage of ensuring the wash bay can still operate under a hose pipe ban during droughts.
A principle issue is that engine oil, petrol and diesel gets washed off the vehicles and ends up floating on top of the interceptor. This causes odours and when the water is recycled the cars are being washed with dirty water – with predictable results. Dosing our specialised blend of bacterial strains designed to digest the longer-chain hydrocarbons into the gulley or tank will quickly improve water quality and malodours.
With so many buidings across our 15-acre estate we’ve managed to save well over 100 tons of water a week – and over 7 tons of CO2 off our carbon footprint. Sustainability is really important to us and to our community of 300+ businesses here at Digbeth – the fact we’re saving money too is a real bonus.
This is so simple to implement and it really works. Our loos are so much more pleasant and the odours have gone. This is a historic building and we were struggling with that. We’ve been working really hard to reduce our environmental impact this year; this one change is saving us literally tons of water, CO2 – and money.
We went waterless with the Radicle system and within a week we were getting positive comments from the team about how the urinal smells had disappeared. The loos are visibly cleaner, far more pleasant – and we’re saving a lot of money on water. It’s also reducing our carbon footprint – which as a business is very important to us.
Spotless | Odour-Free
Natural and safe, biological products digest soils, get rid of odours and keep working when the mop’s put away.
