Disaster Relief with EM1 - #1

EM Application at Tsunami Affected Sites in Thailand



A day after the tsunami struck the coastal areas of southern Thailand, the manufacturer of Effective Microorganisms™ in Thailand, EM Kyusei gathered to discuss the possible ways to provide help to the affected areas. On the same day, Dec. 29th, Lt. Gen. Chinnarat of the Thai Royal Army (retired), advisor to the Science and Technology Committee of the Parliament and strong advocate for Effective Microorganisms™, contacted Mr. Kazuhiko Wakugami telling that the military has been requested by the Chairperson of the Thai Red Cross to use Effective Microorganisms™ in the affected areas.

Henceforth, on the same day, 2 tons of EM1 was airlifted using the Thai Royal Air force plane to the affected area in Phang Nga Province one of the hardest struck areas. They sprayed EM dilution at the temple, where dead bodies are placed temporarily for identification. There were more that 1,000 dead bodies at the temple and Thai military is collecting the dead bodies from the disaster struck areas.

EM Kyusei knows that a more concentrated solution would have more effect. However the initial problem is bringing EM into some of the inaccessible areas. At the request of the Red Cross, EM Kyusei provided 5 tons of EM on Jan 4. EM Kyusei staff brought the EM on land and with 10 staff members who are continuing work with volunteers as of this date.

They made activated EM (AEM) there and sprayed dilution of AEM every day at a dilution of 100. Among other things, a 10 ton fire truck lorry was used as well as shoulder pack sprayers. There was a general comment among doctors, military people, and other volunteers that a 50% smell reduction was observed. There was initial protest over EM/AEM use from some forensic doctors but after observing the smell reduction, all protests had stopped.

EM Kyusei knows that a more concentrated solution would have more effect. However the initial problem is bringing EM into some of the inaccessible areas. At the request of the Red Cross, EM Kyusei provided 5 tons of EM on Jan 4. EM Kyusei staff brought the EM on land and with 10 staff members who are continuing work with volunteers as of this date.

Wastewater Treatment

EM Technology® is properly applied in the collection system. Timing, flow rates, system design, and management are all considered in developing an application program for a wastewater treatment plant and collection system (sewer).

EM•1® has a unique ability to stabilize complex proteins through a shift from anaerobic putrefaction cycles to a fermentative cycle. Hair and plastics can play havoc with the balancing of an anaerobic digester by creating over-thickening of the scum layer. Hair is primarily composed of complex proteins, which have been historically difficult to stabilize to a point at which the biological breakdown will occur in a timely manner. EM•1® will assist by accelerating protein stabilization.

EM•1® is applied at various stages in the treatment process for optimum results. The application site and dosage amounts are dependent on the type of treatment system, the age of the system, and the goals of the parties involved. Application rates can vary from 1: 1000 to 1: 40,000. The average rate into a treatment system is around 1: 10,000 (based on daily flow). The EM•1® is activated and injected at various points throughout the collection system on a steady flow.

The microbes in EM•1® Waste Treatment secrete beneficial substances such as organic acids, enzymes and antioxidants (chelated minerals and vitamins) when in contact with organic matter. In wastewater applications, EM•1® assists in shifting conditions from putrefactive to non-putrefactive. This unique ability enables EM•1® to transition the wastewater collection system into a pretreatment system, thereby lowering the loading demand on wastewater treatment plants. Essentially, consistent applications of EM Technology® into the collection system will increase the capacity of the treatment plant, decrease the operation costs, and improve the efficiency of the entire system.

Since every treatment system is in itself as a separate ecosystem, a custom-design in each application for a wastewater treatment system will be done after an assessment of the entire system.

Solid Waste Management

EM Technology® has been used around the world in the treatment of solid waste landfills. The motto of "acting locally" can be taken quite literally if we were all to incorporate the use of Effective Microorganisms™ at home by treating all of our food and green wastes "locally". Solid wastes are inevitable in today's society. How we manage the wastes is really the problem, not having them. Throwing items that have some usable value is not management, but waste. Incineration of wastes leads to other problems with air pollution and also relies heavily on fuels to produce high heat for the process to work properly. Materials that go into landfills include, but are not limited to, green wastes, food wastes, metals, plastics, construction debris, etc.

Landfills are maintained under strict regulations that require daily covers, dust control, odor control, and leachate management for air and groundwater protection. Landfill managers are concerned with these factors and compaction rates as well. Landfill gases are required to be captured as they could be explosive and are often flared because they are loaded with impurities that prevent them from being efficient energy sources. Increasing compaction rates and cleaning the gases with Effective Microorganisms™ so they can be used could save taxpayers millions of dollars per month on a national level.

Odor and Dust control
Using EM•1® in the daily cover and in the water trucks that are used to control dust, odor, and increase compaction rates, are simple ways to better-manage a landfill. An added benefit is that EM•1® Waste Treatment will eliminate odor on contact, making for better neighbour relations and better working conditions for employees. Hydrogen sulfide has been implicated in breathing problems. Eliminating H2S, as EM•1® has been proven to do in wastewater treatment, can also connect EM•1® Waste Treatment with worker safety.

Leachate and Landfill Gases
H2S is a contaminant to the landfill gas. Removing it will clean the gas and make it burn more efficiently. Some landfills, depending on the amount of organic materials that are added to them, will produce varying amounts of methane gas and leachate. Many landfill operations that aggressively separate organic matter going into the landfill will not produce a significant amount of methane, yet they are still required to install gas collection systems. As has been demonstrated with EM•1® applications in several countries, there is the possibility of eliminating the production of methane gas in the first place, eliminating the need for the expensive gas collection system. The eventual goal is to see that large amounts of EM•1® are added to the leachate and the incoming wastes to detoxify the leachate, eliminating the worries of groundwater contamination. On this level more research needs to be done, however, based on research in other areas of waste treatment, there is a high probability of achieving these goals.

Application Rates
In a 5,000-gallon water truck, 100 gallons of Effective Microorganisms™ EM•1® are added to control odor and increase compaction rates. The beneficial microbes in the EM•1® will stop pathogenic microbial growth (as has been laboratory tested) and set the growing conditions for other beneficial microbes in the landfill which will increase the decomposition of the organic matter in the landfill. At this ratio, the methanogen groups of microbes will not be able to grow and methane gas will not be produced.

Daily cover made of organic material can be mixed with EM•1® at a rate of 1.5 gallons per ton of material.

With operations this large, Activated EM•1® is used with the above ratios.

Effective Microorganisms™ can be applied through bioreactors as well. The application ratio will be 1 part Activated EM•1® to 1,000 gallons of water.

Commercial Composting

Using EM Technology® can help reduce composting turning costs by as much as 80% and prevent anaerobic, odor-causing decay. The key to efficient composting is to have healthy decomposition constantly occurring throughout the pile. In all conditions, including low oxygen and anaerobic environments, EM•1® facilitates healthy decomposition and increased production of stable organic matter particles (humus).

Feed stocks treated with EM•1® quickly develop structure and a more fluffy texture allowing oxygen to penetrate into the pile. Anaerobic pockets become aerated and the overall quality of the product is improved while reducing management time and cost.
Microbial density and diversity improvements and increased nitrogen availability in composts treated with EM•1® Waste Treatment.

Composting is an environmentally conscious method of creating a valuable product out of organic wastes. At present, the fundamental challenge composting facilities face is in properly aerating the piles. Oxygen starts to become limiting in compost piles within minutes of turning and the rising diesel and equipment costs makes turning compost the main management input. Frequent turning also exacerbates odor and dust issues, releasing ammonium and methane gases into the air and in the process losing valuable nutrients and organic mass. This makes for angry neighbors, numerous flies, and a potentially disease inducing finished product.

EM•1® is compatible with numerous types of commercial composting systems (including in vessel systems), and can be used to effectively treat green waste, livestock waste, food waste, and most other agricultural-industrial wastes that will be composted. EM•1® Waste Treatment can also be used at transfer stations for safe and effective odor control.

A trial was set up to examine the benefits of EM•1® for a commercial aerobic windrow green waste compost operation that uses a method of composting that requires a tremendous amount of turning.

Lab analysis provided results that suggest the EM•1® compost was significantly more mature and stable than the control. The EM•1® compost had a C:N (Carbon to Nitrogen) ratio of 15:1 to a 18:1 C:N ratio for the untreated compost (control). Furthermore, the compost treated with EM•1® Waste Treatment contained 5 times more nitrate than the control. The NO2:NH3 ratio for the compost treated with EM•1® Waste Treatment was 16:1 compared to 3:1 for the control.

The compost treated with EM•1® more intensely cycled carbon to nitrogen and more efficiently converted organic nitrogen into nitrate. Microbial analysis confirmed and quantified the visible increase in microbial activity. The heterotrophic, actinomycetes, and pseudomonad groups had significantly greater populations in the compost treated with EM•1® Waste Treatment. The microbial diversity index for the EM•1® Waste Treatment compost was also greater than the control.

The following application recommendations are guidelines to producing high quality compost with less intensive management.

Procedures:
1.Apply EM•1® as soon as the material is consolidated (or windrowed) and preferably before the material has become thermophillic (temperatures above 120 degrees F).
2.These recommended rates of EM•1® Waste Treatment application are guidelines and may need to be adjusted for site-specific conditions and unique feedstocks. Activated EM•1® Waste Treatment should be used for all applications due to cost savings. Consult for specific commercial composting Activation instructions.
3.Add EM•1® Waste Treatment to the water used to hydrate the feedstock. Try to minimize runoff. The material should then be turned for an even EM•1® Waste Treatment application. Dilution of EM•1® Waste Treatment will vary depending on total water volume needed to attain proper moisture.
4.Turn (aerate) the compost once a month until maturity.
5.EM•1® Waste Treatment can be applied at a low rate (1 liter/ton) when compost is mature to further increase microbial density and compost quality.

ENVIRONMENT

Composting
Solid Waste Management
Wastewater Treatment
Disaster Relief with EM1
-EM Application at Tsunami Affected Sites in Thailand
-EM Application for Rehabilitation of Tsunami Struck Areas
-EM Application at the Elbe River Flood in Germany
Restaurant & Hotel Application
Septic Tanks
Pond Treatment / Water Clarity
Corrosion Control
Suspended Solids
Fats Oils & Grease
Sludge Digestion
Odour Control
Sludge Digestion
Anaerobic Digestors & Biogas Generators
Biosolids