MDG News and Updates

New Liquid Product for Winter Treatment Microbial Discovery Group (MDG) is excited to announce the launch of a new product for the Wastewater market. MDG formulated a new liquid cold water strain collection system treatment product, called Biotifx® Liquid Max FRZ. It allows you to outsmart the blizzards, sleet, and snow with Bacillus that remain active at low temperatures using scientifically selected strains.  Keeping an automated dose of the Biotifx® Liquid Max FRZ during the cold months helps digest organic sludge, FOG and reduces H2S and odors, delivering consistent doses, frequently, and at scheduled times. What is Biotifx® Liquid Max FRZ: In addition to our cold weather Biotifx® FRZ line, Liquid Max FRZ is formulated with the same cold temperature Bacillus strains. The liquid version will conveniently treat wastewater treatment plants, lagoons, aerated sludge digester, industrial and municipal grease interceptors. Additionally, Liquid Max FRZ treats collection systems such as lift stations, force mains, sewer and gravity lines, or anywhere automation is desired, ideal in water temperatures 50F˚ and below. How does Biotifx® Liquid Max FRZ work: For many microbes, for every 10C˚ reduction in water temperature, reaction rates are cut in half. At these temperatures, the wastewater’s existing microbes don’t multiply and grow much because […]

Typically, one of the first questions a contract fermentation customer will ask us is how quickly we can get them to economical commercial production. From our years of experience, we commonly find that if the customer can get 2 Billion CFU/ml (2B) in a standard media such as Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB) or Nutrient Broth (NB), we tend to be able to get them to commercial production in 8-12 weeks. However, if the customer is in the 107 or 108 CFU/ml range in this quick test, we know we have a good amount of work ahead of us and it may take a while. Mind you, we have brought many strains with lower than “2B” CFU/ml yield to a point of economic feasibility, but you can bet it increases the production timeline quite a bit. Now, we know the last thing a customer wants to hear is that production yields may delay or even prevent commercialization all together. In order to prevent this, we highly recommend adding a simple 2B TSB screen into your earlier processes. Planning Ahead Right now, many scientists are trying to find the perfect strain for their application. They will spend months if not years screening their Bacillus libraries seeking desired attributes such […]

In a story as old as time, a new product comes to market, fails to make an impact, then fizzles out. Now, in talking with our customers, what we have learned is that some of the new “ground-breaking” solutions just end up causing more headaches than they’re worth. So, when the time came to expand our biological product offerings within the wastewater market, we sought to rewrite that story and began the process of developing our Biotifx® platform. Initially, our research and development team became laser focused on creating a top-notch product that would aim to serve a variety of needs for the wastewater community. Just as it’s sometimes hard to upgrade to that new piece of computer software – changing the process can be scary. Removing the fear and risk became the foundation of our Biotifx® program. We saw the importance of spending time outside of the lab to create a complete program that was grounded on what MDG does best: partnerships. PRODUCTS First, let’s quickly talk about our product innovation. It began with asking questions and then many more followed. Simply put: we listened. We heard about the challenges faced by facilities and got to work. Building on […]

When distributors participate in our Biotifx® program, they become armed with the knowledge and confidence they need to support their customers with superior microbial wastewater treatments – even during the winter months. The program includes onsite training, straightforward product application guides and tools, even an on-site technical service rep if/whenever needed. And cool products too. Help Improve Cold Weather Performance Colder temperatures during winter months can result in up to a 50% drop in microbial activity, drastically slowing wastewater treatment. Due to this, a few months prior to winter, our distributors switch their customers’ bacterial treatments to our unique Biotifx®  FRZ strains, which help them maintain efficient system performance and counter seasonal upsets. It alleviates challenges associated with fats, oils, grease (FOG), sludge, odor and hydrogen sulfide and is ideal to use when water temperatures drop below 59°F / 15°C. “Beyond sludge removal, you’ll lessen the typical spring turnover which comes with a large release of hydrogen sulfide when a lagoon flips. This saves on fines and additional maintenance.”                                                                    – MDG Technical Service Applications & Industries Biotifx® FRZ can be […]

MDG is excited to announce the OMRI listing for ZymoBac® GRO M50B, our solution for the Plant Health market. You can view ZymoBac® GRO M50B’s certificate here! “MDG is excited to announce that OMRI has reviewed ZymoBac® GRO M50B and has determined that it is Allowed for use in compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP)!”  Shannon Losing., Regulatory and Quality Manager of Microbial Discovery Group. What is ZymoBac® GRO? Our ZymoBac® GRO line chosen for its wide arrary of enzyme production to improve plant health and increase yields, and this listing now means that ZymoBac® GRO M50B can be used as a part of the USDA National Organic Program. We are proud that our Bacillus can be a part of organic agriculture, giving farmers a plant health product alternative to traditional materials. The organization that gives these listings is OMRI, the Organic Materials Review Institute. OMRI is a non-profit organization that reviews and lists products that follow the USDA in the National Organic Program. OMRI lists agricultural input products such as nutrients, pesticides, crop treatment, and animal feed additives. What does this listing mean for ZymoBac® GRO M50B users? OMRI informs producers about products that can be used in organic farming operations, making it easy […]

MDG’s Director of I&I Sales, Justin Howlett, is ready to tackle the Industrial & Institutional market.   What drew you to Microbial Discovery Group (MDG)? In my numerous conversations with Mike King, MDG’s CEO, I enjoyed the vision of the company’s growth as well as the challenge that was ahead in playing a role in getting the company to where it is now and where it will be. I enjoyed the culture that was and is so very important to Mike upon founding the company as well as how much he strives to keep it alive and thriving currently and for the future to come. What does your typical day look like? No day is “typical” in my role! On any given day you will find me intrenched in one of the following activities: working on training materials, interviewing candidates to expand our team, performing customer and industry research to understand what our partners might want from us, and/or discussing what MDG products would be helpful to add-on to our partners’ inventory. What is something at work that you’re passionate about? I enjoy the coaching aspect of my position. I assist my team by streamlining obstacles in our sales process so […]

Throughout a facility tour at MDG you’ll walk past different sizes of the same equipment, one example, specifically of interest to many plant companies, is the 6-foot pilot spray dryer that stares up at a 34-foot electric production spray dryer. Flexibility in spray drying equipment size offers two intentional benefits: affordable trials and high-yield spore production.    What is Spray Drying? MDG’s Pilot Spray Dryer Spray drying is used in markets such as custom fermentation, plant health, animal agriculture, wastewater, I&I, aquaculture, human probiotics, landfill, and bioremediation. This process involves drying liquid droplets into a fine powder. A nozzle that turns a stream of liquid into a fine mist allows for droplets ranging in micron sizes to be achieved and produce fine particles as the water droplets dry. Fine particle sizes are required for applying product through in field spraying applications making it a popular drying method for agriculture products.   Affordable Trials  Field trials are a common step in bringing a new strain or product to market. Field trials require a small amount of high-quality product and bringing a product to market requires high amounts of high-quality product. While that may seem like stating the obvious, few manufacturers are set-up to execute on […]

All markets experience industry trends, both perils and opportunities. The key to success within any market is not simply navigating trends but getting ahead of the impact. As a Bacillus manufacturer for multiple markets, we tend to see overlap, allowing us to predict and forecast changes. Today, in the Janitorial and Sanitation industry, many of our partners are discussing trends that are both specific to the industry, and trends impacting markets across the globe. Lead Times and Availability Supply chain disruptions are felt across nearly all industries. Delays in raw materials, backlogged freight, and the rising demand has resulted in price spikes and the urgent need for replacement options. Green Ingredients  Clean ingredient incentive groups all over the world have taken a hard look at manufacturers of products used for industrial, institutional, janitorial, and commercial cleaning. Of particular interest is the environmental impact these products elicit. Labor Shortages  The Bearu of Labor and Statistics US Bearu Labor report stated that in 2021, 47.8 million and in early 2022, 4.3 million Americans “quit” their jobs. This has been deemed as the “Great Resignation” and because of this, companies are finding it hard to hire talent with the skills needed. Sustainability Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are […]

Elevated hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels are a serious concern for wastewater operators and introduce a variety of treatment challenges. While many treatment options reduce the symptoms of H2S (odors, safety risks, and corrosion), they are reactive and neglect the underlying culprit: sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB).  A discussion of H2S generation will aid in exploring the pros and cons of common reactive H2S treatment methods and how bioaugmentation can be a proactive treatment method. The Escalating Phases of H2S At low concentrations, H2S exhibits a rotten egg odor. At high concentrations, H2S can cause corrosion or physical harm including loss of consciousness or death in extreme cases. Understanding how H2S is generated and changes through its breakdown cycle is crucial to making informed treatment decisions (Figure 1).    Figure 1: Sulfate breakdown in a typical wastewater environment. The process starts with sulfate, which is often present in wastewater. Normal levels of sulfate are harmless and natural. Sludge and fats, oil, and grease (FOG) are another common component of wastewater. When combined, sludge and FOG can create a reaction which removes oxygen from wastewater and potentially creates an anaerobic environment SRB thrive in anaerobic environments with high levels of sulfate.  The higher the concentration of SRB, the higher the potential for H2S production.    Most H2S treatments occur at this point in the breakdown chain, either by enhancing the non-SRB microbial community by introducing additives, or by removing H2S. If H2S goes untreated, […]

Microbial Discovery Group has broken ground on two new expansion projects in Oak Creek, WI, beginning the first of multiple 2021 capital expansion plans.  Completion of the 2021 plan will result in a total investment of $2.7M into the Milwaukee-area. MDG’s business is built on supplying naturally-occurring, bacteria-based products to a multitude of different industries: bioremediation, wastewater, industrial and institutional, landfill, human health, aquaculture and more. Two projects are currently under construction and are scheduled to be completed by late summer, these include, an expansion of the powder blending room and the building of an external structure to house multiple spray dryers. MDG’s blending room will double in size, resulting in greater capacity and volume throughput in response to increased demand across all markets. This expansion is a foundational step, offering MDG the ability to add various blenders, powder milling equipment and additional equipment in future years. The external structure will house a new commercial spray dryer and pilot spray dryer, both currently being built off-site. MDG’s plant bioculture market will benefit from the smaller micron size of spray-dried culture, as they dissolve faster and can be incorporated into field applicator sprayers. Additionally, this development paves the way for additional […]