Operator's Guide to Bioaugmentation

Bioaugmentation in WWTPs: Facts vs Misconceptions

Bioaugmentation is often met with skepticism in wastewater treatment.
This is understandable — many low-quality products and incorrect applications have created mistrust in the industry. This page addresses the most common concerns from operators, engineers and consultants, based on real project experience.

Fact: No, it is not, but low quality or incorrectly applied products can indeed fail.

Effective bioaugmentation requires:

  • properly selected microbial consortia
  • sufficient dosing concentration
  • continuous technical support
  • correct integration into the biological process

When applied correctly, it delivers measurable and repeatable results like reduction in excess sludge formation, energy savings, lower chemical consumption, improved treatment process stability, increased treatment capacity.

Fact:

No, it can’t make your system’s current performance worse. It is very important to make a difference between a microbial product, and a bioaugmentation product. A lot of microbial products (a product which have inactivated concentrated microbes as effective ingredient) are on the market, and dealers approach WWTP operators to promote their application without knowing what is inside the box. Most of the microbial products are harmless to the existing biology, they either bring some benefit, or do not. There are microbes though which totally do not fit in e.g. an activated sludge system, and can cause minor or major upset until washed out completely. 

Bioaugmentation products on the other hand are different: they are carefully selected microbes for the boundaries of the targeted environment. Most of them are even domestic in the target environment, just due to the competitive advantage of other species they are overgrown in the existing biomass by other bacteria, so they cannot do their job effectively. We provide these bacteria in high numbers with a maintenance dosage to keep their count at the desired level within the system to extract their beneficial performance. If you stop their dosage, they are washed out of the system sooner or later, depending on sludge age. A bioaugmentation product can never do harm to your existing biomass The worst scenario that can happen is that because of a non-suitable operational setup of the plant, inhibitory or toxic substances, nutrient deficiency in the inlet can mask or eliminate the benefits. But your system will not be worse in performance than before. 

Malatech products are bioaugmentation products:

  • non-GMO
  • non pathogenic
  • natural microbial strains
  • environmentally safe

They do not replace the existing biomass.

They enhance and support the native microbial population.

There is no risk of process upset when applied according to our guidelines.

Fact:

Biological wastewater treatment is an expensive process for every company. CapEx is high, OpEx is also high, which makes wastewater treatment a real pain for industries as well as for municipal WWTP operators. If you apply Malatech Bioaugmentation on a well-operating plant, you have net savings on OpEx. It means you spend less on the maintenance dosages of the bioaugmentation products than you save on operating costs. In the meantime, you get a more stable, more bulletproof, easily controllable biology with even lower effluent parameters than before. 

Also, WWTP mechanical design is based on theoretical conditions. In real operation, plants face:

  • fluctuating influent composition
  • seasonal load variations
  • toxicity or inhibitory events
  • aging infrastructure

Bioaugmentation helps operators maintain, and optimize performance under real world conditions and recover lost efficiency over time.

Fact:

Our programs are designed to reduce total OpEx, not increase it.

Typical savings at well-designed WWTP’s with trouble free operation:

  • 20–50% lower sludge disposal cost
  • 5–15% lower aeration energy
  • 20–100% lower chemical usage
  • lower effluent concentrations of pollutants results reduced environmental fees, and help avoid fines

In most cases, savings significantly exceed product maintenance dosage costs, which means bioaugmentation results net savings on OpEx.

Fact:

Every Malatech project starts with:

  • baseline KPI definition
  • agreed measurement methodology
  • regular monitoring and reporting

Performance is evaluated based on measured operational data, not assumptions.

Fact:

Implementation is simple:

  • dosing can be automated by a metering pump from a single IBC or other container
  • mixing the products requires a few-minute job from the operator once a week
  • no new infrastructure is needed
  • minimal operator intervention

In most cases, operators report less workload, not more.

Definitely not. Our Microbiologists at our two R&D sites in Bishopville (USA), and Mumbai (IN) have been focusing on isolating beneficial microbes from soil, and surface freshwater bodies, selecting, testing them for specific purposes for more than 30 years. All strains in our products have been carefully selected for the targeted job. Our products are definitely not cheap if we consider unit price since the fermentation process used for their production is not cheap, and the inactivated end products have a massive CFU count (1-10 billion CFU/g or ml depending on product). The cost of their application though is low, because the dosage is low. Which means that especially in wastewater treatment plant bioaugmentation the operators save more operating cost on a yearly basis than they spend on the maintenance dosage of the products, which means net savings can be achieved on operating costs of the plant.

Physical presence does not equate to biological oversight. Our Remote Data-Sharing Methodology is built on 25 years of monitoring hundreds of WWTPs globally. We have developed our datasheets in a way that enables us to get a core view of the plant at the very beginning. Usually, we return with some technical questions to get an absolutely clear view of the plant, and its biology. If our customer is ready to cooperate, and share the basic daily operational data with us after the treatment starts, we will be able to see the plant like we were continuously onsite. This data-driven approach is more accurate than a monthly site visit, allowing us to proactively optimize your biology 24/7, and make sure the targeted goals are met.

Yes. Our products are not chemicals, but fermentation made beneficial bacteria consortia. They are out of REACH, CITES, CLP, all of our strains non-GMO, non-pathogenic, safe for the environment, human and animal life. Your operators can safely work with them.

We eliminate the financial guesswork through our Performance-Based Pilot program. For qualified EU operators, we offer a 4–6-month trial where the cost is strictly linked to verified target results. You only pay when the targeted KPIs are met. This Pay-on-Satisfaction model ensures that the bioaugmentation becomes a self-funding tool for OpEx reduction rather than an added expense.

Our Approach

Malatech does not sell standalone products.

We deliver a complete optimization program including:

  • plant evaluation
  • dosing strategy
  • continuous technical support
  • performance monitoring

Risk-Controlled Pilot Model

To eliminate risk and skepticism, we offer a performance-based pilot:

  • 4–6-month trial
  • KPIs defined in advance
  • Cost linked to achieved results, or based on customer satisfaction

This allows operators to verify results on their own plant.

Bioaugmentation is not a replacement for good engineering.

It is a powerful optimization tool that helps operators:

  • reduce operating costs
  • increase process stability
  • extend plant capacity
  • operate with greater safety margins (widened technological operational window)

Would you like to evaluate the potential at your plant?

Contact our engineering team, where you can request a pilot assessment
Check technical briefing