How to use your microscope to easily troubleshoot wastewater upsets: a webinar for wastewater operators

Your microscope is your secret weapon in avoiding foaming, foam-overs or poor settling. Learn how you can use your microscope to avoid any upsets, issues, and avoid any costly or messy plant upsets.

Frank J. DeOrio, one of the brains behind opseyes, recently hosted a webinar to help anyone with a microscope troubleshoot issues they may be having with their plant, which we are delighted to share with you. Frank is one of the most experienced, seasoned wastewater professionals in the business, and what he doesn’t know about wastewater isn’t worth knowing. So, grab a coffee, find a comfortable chair, and enjoy!  

Different filaments bloom under different conditions, and if you can identify the filament, you can identify the condition, and fix it. Learn about the variety of filamentous organisms that appear, how to identify them by their characteristics and what conditions they indicate is happening. Find out which bacteria look like sausages, hockey pucks or pearls!

Who is this video for?

Frank’s webinar was originally created as a DEC-approved training course for wastewater operators in New York.

The webinar is great for wastewater operators, plant managers and wastewater directors of all levels looking to expand their knowledge, learn new skills, or simply listen to Frank bring plants to life.

What we cover:

1. How microscopic evaluation can identify changes in indicator organisms, floc structures and abundance of filament inorganic solids.

2. How to detect the presence of excess polysaccharides.

3. How frequently you should evaluate your wastewater under the microscope to keep on top of your plant, and what the ideal schedule looks like.

4. How the proportion and concentration of filaments in wastewater indicates poor settling, good settling, or pin floc.

5. How to identify the difference between floc, filaments and higher life forms under the microscope; what the flocs are telling you about your settlement, and which microscopic resolutions are suitable to identify which organisms.

6. How to easily determine if excessive polysaccharides – which are an indication of stress within the biomass – are present using your microscope. When polysaccharides are being secreted the bacteria/biomass is under stress from nutrient deficiency, toxic loading, or insufficient food. This is particularly relevant for industrial plants rather than municipals.

7. How to know your PAOs from your GAOs (Phosphate Accumulating Organisms vs Glucose Accumulating Organisms).

8. What to look for in your Tetrads and your Nitrifiers and what they mean for you and your plant.

9. Overabundance of, or excess filamentous can lead to foaming, foam-overs and poor settling, which is unsafe, and can result in permit violations. However, filamentous is indicative of issues in your plant, which you can detect with your microscope. As an example, Nocardia is present with low DO or high oils, fats and grease. Type 021N is present with nutrient deficiency (Both N and P).

10. How to use your microscope to look for Nocardia and Zoogloea. 

11. How the type of foam tells you the type of filament issue you may have.

12, How to get on top of foam control (And what type of defoamer to use).

And finally…

Frank talks about opseyes, and how opseyes make the whole job of identifying filaments and taking corrective actions easier for you. Find out more about how it works, and simply register to create an account