MDG News and Updates

Nobody wants to wake up in the morning to the smell of their pet’s mess. But lucky you, you’re the one who gets to clean it up. Before you run to the cabinet to grab that foaming cleaner with a strong fragranced deodorizer, perhaps it’s best to take a few minutes to understand why your pet’s mess smells the way it does. Knowing this may encourage you to grab a different cleaning option that will do more than mask the odor, it will remove it. To choose the right product, you must understand what compounds you’re up against. Significant insight into the breakdown of feces and odor production has been reported1 and provides good information about why your pets feces smells so bad. Whether we’re discussing dog, cat, or horse feces, all feces odor comes from similar odor-causing compounds. While the diet plays a significant role in the varying quantities of these compounds, you can be certain the culprit is a mixture of these top 5 contributors: 1: Volatile fatty acids (VFAs): VFAs are organic acids produced by the microbial metabolism of biomass and food waste, such as dietary fiber, starch, protein, and amino acids.  VFAs are quite odorous, and the variety of […]

Well, ok, that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but this modified version seems fitting. Recently, MDG received its third centrifuge to match its three fermentors already in operation. This R2D2 looking device might sound boring, but it’s an essential piece of our custom fermentation arsenal. So, why is having a third centrifuge so important? Simply put, improved production. The centrifuge spins the liquid from a fermentation batch at over 10,000 x g and separates the Bacillus spores from the spent fermentation medium. This process removes about 90% of the water before the freeze or spray drying step. With three fermentors running, totaling 25,000 liters in production capacity, our ability to turn these vessels is dependent on these centrifuges. It’s possible to harvest with one fermentor and with one centrifuge, but it makes for a pretty long day. If you use two centrifuges at once, harvesting is much more manageable. But if one goes down on you during a harvest, it can mess up a shift or a day quickly. Having the third centrifuge gives you multiple options and the same shift redundancy. Just last month, our crew was able to turn 22 fermentation batches with two centrifuges, so imagine how much we’re looking […]

As cleaning continues to trend upwards, it’s important to understand all the terminology and options in the Industrial and Institutional industry. The term “bio-enzymatic cleaner” is one you’ll come across often, but depending on which customer is requesting it, they may be requiring something different than the next. Here at MDG, we describe bio-enzymatic cleaners as cleaners that use some form of biology to aid in the cleaning or removal of organic material. While many companies may have a similar definition, there is a lack of understanding around the different types of biology used as well as the differing benefits. Many bio-enzymatic cleaners contain either enzymes or bacterial culture which produce enzymes. Both biological ingredients can be used independently or in combination to break down soils, grease, food, or other materials. At MDG, we make biological concentrates for manufacturing companies who then formulate and label bio-enzymatic cleaning products. Each partner of ours is unique in application, business needs, and definitions of success. Depending on the customer, our recommended biological additives changes. The table below highlights some of the main differences between biological additive options: Ingredient  Enzymes Bacillus Bacteria Enzyme + Bacillus Combination Definition Enzymes are non-living proteins produced by organisms […]

Wastewater and collection systems with anaerobic areas, FOG, or sludge build-up provide the perfect environment for hazardous Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for concentrations to climb above 1000 ppm! To understand the risks, check out the chart below to better understand the dangers associated at every level. ** Click to Enlarge What should you do if you’re dealing with H2S? Enter a safe, effective solution: bioaugmentation! Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas is a by-product of sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB), using sulfur compounds in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic environments). By disrupting growth conditions for SRBs,  Bacillus bacteria are able to reduce the production of H2S without the need for harsh chemicals. Connect with our team and we can get ahead of this dangerous and destructive problem together.

One of the biggest advantages to using bioaugmentation for lagoon wastewater treatment is that it can buy you time before your lagoon will need to be dredged. The specialized bacteria get to work on built-up sludge and can increase your capacity for a fraction of the price. However, I once spoke to a wastewater treatment professional that said, “if we need more lagoon space, we don’t dredge; we just dig another hole.” I knew dredging and hauling could be extremely expensive, but I wasn’t sure what digging another “hole” or lagoon would cost. I’m no civil engineer, but I did some surface level digging and found some bid proposals online that suggest the contractor portion alone can range between $5-10M! While I’m sure there is an array of costs involved with this process, I see three main pieces that make constructing a new lagoon harder than it sounds. The cost of: Land Engineering Firm Expertise Time The Price of Land One of the proposals I found from North Dakota indicated that the land at the time was $8000 per acre, with a requirement of 40 acres. That math comes out to $320,000 just in land! Not to mention that the […]

Setting the Scene Does this scenario look familiar to you? If you work in municipal collections, of course it does! It’s a fairly standard lift station vacuum truck clean-out. While expensive and tedious, most municipalities have come to reluctantly accept this as an ongoing occurrence and expense.   How about this one? That’s right, you are looking at the top view of a confined space entry lift station pit that is 40+ feet down. This one is more unique, but if you’re familiar with this sight you’re also familiar with the hefty bill. The cost of three vac truck personnel and two city personnel onsite for 4 hours PLUS the hauling and disposal fees associated with a truck full of 4,000 gallons of grease and wipes will set you back a pretty penny. The COVID-19 Effect With people spending more time at home instead of at work, you can expect more wipes, toilet paper, grease and solids going down residential sewer lines that weren’t were designed to handle the load.  So, while the need for these sorts of cleanouts and expenses are budgeted to happen occasionally, they are going to become increasingly frequent. This increase in usage means more vacuum […]

MDG continues to expand their Industrial and Institutional team into the Southeast region. Microbial Discovery Group LLC (MDG) is pleased to announce the hiring of Blake Scott as Southeast Industrial and Institutional (I&I) Account Manager. Blake will focus on servicing new Janitorial and Sanitation partners with our SporActiv™ product line. Blake brings a combination of technical and sales experience with a strong foundation in service and product expertise. Sona Son, MDG’s Director of Research and Development, explains “Over the past few years we have dedicated significant amounts of research and development towards making advances within the Industrial and Institutional Market. We’re happy to welcome Blake to our growing team as we expand our business into the Southeast.” “The SporActiv™ product line showcases our microbial expertise in the cleaning sector and is backed by trust, speed, and support,” stated Jenna Trusso, I&I Sales Manager. “Blake is known to show dedication to his customers through quality service and deep product knowledge. This dedication, amongst other skills, make him a great fit for our MDG team.” When asked what interested him about MDG, Blake explained, “I’ve been filled with excitement ever since I first met Michael King, MDG’s CEO and Chief Scientific Officer, […]

With more people staying home as we work to flatten the curve of COVID-19, residential plumbing systems are taking a bit of a beating. Our home plumbing, neighborhood collection systems, and large municipal sewer systems were probably not built for so many people being home at once. Do yourself and your neighbors a favor and think before you flush. So, what on the plumbing blacklist? As a rule of thumb, if it doesn’t dissolve (and stay dissolved) in water, it doesn’t belong in your toilet or down your drain. The list goes on and on, but to name a few… Rags, newspaper, shop towels, and paper towels. We know the toilet paper shortage will likely increase the temptation to flush these down the toilet. Grease. With eating out being less of an option, we’re cooking more meals at home. Restaurants have built-in grease traps that collect any grease that might go down the drain, but residential kitchens aren’t built this way. Please think twice before pouring liquid grease down your sink (or even your toilet). It will harden into a solid somewhere down the line, either within your drainpipes, septic system, or at the lift station – causing headaches for more than just you. Diapers, baby […]

We have heard from wastewater facilities that a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time can really throw off their ability to effectively treat wastewater. There is just not enough capacity and too little time to adjust. Unfortunately, we predict that a new kind of rain is coming. With recent concerns and actions around COVID-19, we’re seeing: 3.33 times the amount of water-related to handwashing Extra flushing to get non-toilet paper items to go down the toilet The first one might be a little easier to estimate. The CDC recommends washing your hands for 20 seconds, or the equivalent to singing happy birthday twice. But therein lies the problem wastewater treatment plants could be facing. In normal circumstances, the average person washes their hands for 6 seconds. So, with the increase to 20 seconds, we’re estimating 3.33X more water usage for handwashing. A normal faucet will use between 0.5 to 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM). If we take the average of that range, 1.5 GPM, and multiple it by the increased time spent washing, 14 seconds, you get 0.35 gallons of extra water used per person each day. But we’re not done yet! We also need to consider the uptick in how […]

This message is for all of you cleaning at home and all the industrial and institutional (Jan-San) professionals; those of you who are cleaning our critical infrastructure facilities during this unique time. Thank you for your efforts and service. As a microbiologist who formerly worked for a chemical company who sold chlorine and bromine oxidizer products (similar to bleach), I suggest everyone take note of the CDC Recommendations to Clean AND Disinfect. These two common terms are both very different and important. According to the CDC, “cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting refers to using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.” It’s likely that most people at work and at home are disinfecting right now, judging by the empty bleach shelves and inability to find Clorox wipes anywhere. While disinfecting is important, we need to be sure we are also cleaning. Cleaning removes dirt, debris, impurities and lowers the number of […]