The term “septic” literally means infected with bacteria. Sepsis is a severe condition that kills thousands of people every year. So why would anybody want a “septic” tank out in their yard? It seems ridiculous, but for well over a century, septic tanks are what we have used to try to safely treat the human waste that comes from our toilets and other household plumbing fixtures. And if you look inside a typical septic tank, it looks and smells as bad as any septic wound. Septic waste is so nasty because the septic tank is anaerobic, meaning “without oxygen .” The way traditional septic system ..read more

Many cottages near Northern Michigan’s beautiful lakes were built 50-100 years ago with sub-par wastewater systems. Septic tanks were often placed near the shore so that sewage would flow by gravity, with the liquid portion flowing downhill to a leach trench beside the lake. While this may have been acceptable when the cottages were only used during the summer, the situation has changed now that many properties have been developed and occupied year-round. Upgrading these systems to comply with current code requirements is problematic since most plots were laid out without any code in mind. Th ..read more

Thousands of years ago, the soil could naturally treat all the waste humans generated, but now with billions of people on the planet, this is no longer possible. However, soil still plays a critical role in cleaning up after us. Over a century ago, the septic tank was invented to separate liquid waste from solids, but the soil’s final destination remains. Soil comprises trillions of sand grains with a slight charge, which pulls the liquid through them via capillary flow. This flow allows trillions of bacteria to coat the grains and use oxygen to digest organic matter and purify waste. Soil pa ..read more

Bacteria are the least understood and least appreciated organisms on earth. Humans seem to have an excessive fear of these little guys, but in many respects, we are just giant cargo ships for the thousands of species of bacteria that live in intimate association with us. Hundreds of different types coat our outer skin, and our insides also carry over a thousand species that do all kinds of jobs to keep us healthy. For us, the trick is to ensure that we have plenty of the “good” bacteria in and on us. These species are the best defense we have against the few organisms out there that are dange ..read more

What is aerobic treatment, and why does it matter? Let’s begin with some history of septic tanks and wastewater treatment. When the clean water act was passed in 1970, the EPA said that by 2000 there would be no more septic tanks in the US. Sewers would be everywhere, and only the most remote houses would have septics. At the time, approximately 25% of US households had septic tanks. In 1998 congress asked EPA, “Hey, how are we doing on the elimination of septic tanks?” It turned out that now 27% were on septic. What happened? It turns out sewer systems are extraordinarily expensive and only ..read more

Let’s explore what a septic system is and how it works. The earliest humans dropped their waste directly onto the soil around them.  There the bacteria in the soil digested the waste and returned the nutrients back to the vegetation.  But when we started living in cities, this did not work.  So privies came into being.  The direct human excrement went into holes in the ground, and when they filled up, they were buried, and a new one was dug.  When plumbing was developed, so people had a water supply in the house, the toilet was invented to use the water to wash the ex ..read more

Coagulants and flocculants are used in wastewater treatment as a core concept for wastewater biotechnology. In most conventional treatment processes, the object is to get organic material out of water in a form that you can physically remove, by settling or filtering, and this is what coagulants and flocculants achieve. In this blog we will cover what the role of coagulants and flocculants are in wastewater, and why they are actually not the best option for wastewater treatment. What are flocculants? Flocculants are chemicals that cause materials in water to create flakes that can become large ..read more

“I think I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.” – Joyce Kilmer The line above is from a rather trite poem by Joyce Kilmer that expresses her wonder of trees. Trees and forests are one of the most fascinating aspects of ecology. If you’ve spent time visiting or living among the Redwood trees in Northern California, it’s almost impossible to describe the awe-inspiring beauty found in these ancient forests. Everyone should visit the California coast from Eureka to Oregon to experience this natural wonder.  Planting new trees is a great way to help reduce air pollution and begin a new ..read more

Bacteria are probably the least understood, and certainly least appreciated organisms on earth. Aerobic bacteria are organisms that can only survive (and thrive) in the presence of oxygen. In order to understand how aerobic bacteria work within wastewater treatment, we first need to dive into what bacteria are and how they work both in the body and in residential wastewater treatment. Bacteria and the Body  Humans seem to have an inordinate fear of these little guys, but, in many respects, we are just giant cargo ships for the thousands of species of bacteria that live in intimate associa ..read more

During the holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible. It is in this spirit that we say thank you and send best wishes for the holidays and New Year. 2021 has been full of changes, but one thing that has remained stable are our fantastic clients and partners. Thank you for making 2021 a great year, and we can’t wait to see what new adventures await in 2022! SludgeHammer uses an innovative microbiology technology to improve wastewater treatment globally. Our patented SludgeHammer Blend uses a combination of enzymes and microbes that work alongside o ..read more