Creating a Friendly Environment
There are all sorts of environments... you may have left a job that had a hostile work environment; we'd all like a safe environment in our schools; a think tank fosters a creative environment; and Antarctica has an inhospitable environment (sort of like that old job).
If you remember some of your science classes, you'll recall all living and non-living things occur in the natural environment. If we break that down to the unseen, we have a nano environment. That's where cleaning happens on surfaces. It's where germs live and grime accumulates. That's why you should clean first, then sanitize. Remove the crud with a great cleaner and and little elbow grease; then sanitize surfaces to kill any leftover bacteria and pathogens that may remain.
Doing this with the frequency we have been recently, it's responsible to consider ways to lessen the environmental impact of overusing chemicals by choosing more natural solutions when sanitizing isn't required and there's a friendly environment.
So what constitutes a Friendly Environment for cleaning? Can those conditions impact and improve how a natural cleaning solution works? Here's an overview:
TIME Maximize the hold time or the time Orb-3 products come in contact with what needs to be treated or cleaned.
TEMPERATURE 40° - 110°F will not denature Orb-3 enzyme or bacterial products. Bacteria become more active between 70°F and 110°F and are most productive in that range. Every 10°F increases enzyme and bacteria activity level by one order of magnitude.
TURBULENCE Mixing and agitation are very important to the success of a project. Turbulence achieves complete interface of Orb-3 products with the contaminate in the waste stream, as well as helps increase and maintain consistent DO.
OXYGEN Orb-3 products stimulate or supplement indigenous bacteria, which require a Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of 2.0ppm or higher to proliferate; 5.0ppm and up is optimum. Orb-3 products also perform in an anaerobic environment.
pH 2.0 – 12.0 is the working range for Orb-3 products. Natural bacteria function most effectively between 3.5 – 9.5.
To determine whether Orb-3 products for wastewater treatment are a fit for your application...
- Check bacterial plate count — 104 is good, TNTC (Too Numerous To Count) is optimum.
- Check Dissolved Oxygen level — DO should be greater than 2.0, 5.0+ is optimum for aerobic activity.
- Check pH — for biological activity 5 – 8 is optimum.
- Check temperature — 60° - 80°F is good, 100° - 110°F is optimum.
- Check hold time or contact time — increase where possible.
Be sure to limit the following before using enzymes as a bacterial catalyst:
Cations, Acids, Caustics, Biocides, Quaternaries
Do you have questions? Contact Us for more information about optimizing your specific situation.