PCH

Evogen PCH has been specially formulated to tackle surfactant, phenol and hydrocarbon contamination. It features a combination of Bacillus and Pseudomonas species that have been scientifically proven to help degrade hydrocarbons and phenol, (Raper et al. 2018) and is suitable for use in a range of applications from land remediation to effluent bioaugmentation.

Recent peer reviewed work has shown PCH to be able to successfully bioaugment coke making effluent from a steel works. Its application led to a >50% reduction in a range of polyaromatic hydrocarbon species, SCN – and phenol concentrations below EU Industrial Emissions Directive limits.

How it works

The product utilises a specially designed organic carrier to trigger biofilm formation within the Bacillus. This helps the microbes retain themselves within a system by sticking to the carrier’s surface and using it as base for floc formation. Through this mechanism, both the Bacillus and Pseudomonas within the product can persist and grow within a system through the formation of flocs. Typically, this biomass develops at a good rate as a compact structure with a Sludge Volume Index (SVI) of under 100.

The use of several Bacillus species which grow synergistically, provide a consortium that are not only metabolically diverse but capable of performing over a range of temperature and pH values. With good growth rates under both high organic loading rates typical of industrial effluents and lower strength municipal wastewaters, Evogen PCH gives the operator a versatile technology for a multitude of scenarios when tackling hydrocarbon-based pollution.

Through metabolic profiling both in the laboratory and via genetic investigations, we have combined consortia capable of tolerating high levels of phenol and hydrocarbons whilst at the same time having the metabolic tools to help degrade a wide range of different compounds.

These include compounds such as fats, oils and grease, non-ionic surfactants such as polysorbate 20 and anionic surfactants such as SLS. Where a combination of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, cellular transporters and secreted biosurfactants help to make these compounds available for degradation and conversion into biomass, CO2 and water.

Through a potent mix of hydrolytic enzymes including; proteases, lipases, glycosidases and nucleases, the consortia within PCH has the capability to tackle a wide range of polymeric compounds and keep sludge volumes down which can bring additional benefits beyond the immediate scope of a problem.

• Can be used in a wide range of water types including fresh, saline and brackish.
• Robust heterotrophic growth parameters allow for growth across a range of conditions from soil based systems to industrial wastewater systems.
• Stable spore formulation offers long term product stability.
• Manufactured in accordance with recognised international standard ISO 9001 to guarantee quality, integrity and reproducibility.

Evogen PCH is supplied in a 20kg pack size. Ideally, the product should be dosed directly to the beginning of the aeration basin.

As a minimum, we recommend a product concentration of 150g per cubic meter delivered as a slug dose with regular maintenance doses as needed. For soil remediation we recommend that the product be dug directly into the contaminated soil and turned at regular intervals to help with aeration.

For wastewater; Evogen PCH should be used in systems dealing with effluents rich in hydrocarbons, phenol, fats oils and grease and other compounds such as anionic and cationic surfactants. Effluents from heavy industry such as gas and oil refineries or steel making are ideally suited for this. The product will also perform in a range of organic rich effluent types such as those resulting from dairies, bakeries and municipal plants.

For soil application; Evogen PCH should be used towards remediating soils that are contaminated with hydrocarbon and phenol species. Soils should have appropriate moisture content and not be highly alkaline or acidic in nature. Aeration will speed up the products impact, so regular turning of the contaminated area is recommended.

The product will perform poorly in highly alkaline (>pH 9) and highly acidic (<pH 4) effluents and will also lose activity at low (<15˚C) and high (>40˚C) temperatures. Effluent types should have appropriate nitrogen and phosphorous content to support microbial growth. For specialised effluent types contact our technical department for more information.

PCH should be stored at low temperatures to preserve the Pseudomonas component: at 4˚C, expect minimal loss (<10%) over a 12-month period. At 21˚C, expect a small 10% loss after 12 weeks and a 40–50% loss after 6 months. Contact us for more information on this.

Count
Bacillus 5E+9 CFU/g
Pseudomonas Approx. 1E+9 CFU/g

Floc
Expect SVI around or below 100 when used with carrier

Appearance
Tan coloured

Fragrance
Neutral / mild / earthy

Form
Free flowing powder

Packaging
20kg pail

Shelf life
Bacillus component 24 months in unopened package. If opened store in a cool dry place to maintain product integrity. Pseudomonas component 12 months at 4 ̊C

Salinity
Can be used in a wide range of water types from freshwater to seawater (no impact upon performance between 0 – 50 g/L)

pH
pH 5 – to pH 8.5 (Optimum between pH 6 and pH 7.5)

Temperature
10 ˚C – 40 ˚C (Optimum between 20 ˚C and 35 ˚C)

Effluent type
Industrial (hydrocarbon, phenol, surfactant and FOG) and municipal

Via a combination of cell cytotoxicity assays and genomic screens for toxin production, we can confirm that all Bacillus species and strains within the product are safe to use, harbour no toxicity towards humans or animals and do not have a negative impact upon the environment.

From analysing the DNA of our strains we can confirm a lack of mobile genetic elements, which strongly indicates a low potential for transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes.