Priti Rao, Founding President of Bioenzym Entrepreneurs Academy of India (https://www.beacademy.in/) & S.K. Singh, ex-Scientist- DRDO and CEO of Gramin Samridhi Foundation (https://graminsamridhi.in/)
Bio-enzymes have gained a lot of popularity in the recent years globally as they are natural cleaning solutions that are produced by the fermentation of citrus fruits, jaggery and water. The natural solution comprises aerobic bacteria which produces enzymes to breakdown organic or inorganic wastes, stains, soils and malodors. During the process of fermentation, the bacteria break down the pollutant molecules into smaller degradable particles and finally get converted into carbonate and nitrate.
Water Quality Test report (after bioremediation using Bioenzymes), showed ‘considerable’ improvement in the Overall Water Quality of the water reservoir. Bioenzymes help in breaking & digesting the floating organic matter – naturally, without affecting the ecological balance. Empirically the test reports after treating the stale water of lake with Bioenzym has been found encouraging substantiated by laboratory test reports on considerable improvement of various parameters.
Parameters of interest:
1) BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) & COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)The Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) represents the amount of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) consumed by biological organisms when they decompose organic matter in water. Thus Biochemical Oxygen Demand is defined as the amount of oxygen utilized by aerobic microorganisms to degrade the organic wastes present in the water. Biochemical Oxygen Demand is important as it provides information on the biologically convertible proportion of the organic content of a sample of water.The chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of oxygen consumed when the water sample is chemically oxidised. Chemical oxygen demand, or COD, is the measure of the capacity of water to consume oxygen during the decomposition of organic matter in the water. In other words, it’s the amount of oxygen that’s needed to oxidise the organic matter present in a quantity of water.
2) Ammonical Nitrogen (NH3-N)it is a hazardous component and a pollutant that can have detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Ammonical Nitrogen wastewater can lead to eutrophication, offensive odor, and increased difficulty and cost of water treatment. It is challenging to treat using conventional chemical methods. Ammonia is one of several forms of nitrogen that exist in aquatic environments. Unlike other forms of nitrogen, which can cause nutrient over-enrichment of a water body at elevated concentrations and indirect effects on aquatic life. Ammonia is broken down to form nitrate or the non pollutant. Residual Free ChlorineResidual chlorine is measured after the chlorine has done its job and is no longer available to kill bacteria and viruses. Free chlorine is measured before the chlorine has reacted with contaminants and is still available to kill bacteria and viruses.
3) Alkalanity (Calcium Carbonte)Alkalinity is crucial for fish and aquatic life because it buffers and protects against sudden pH decreases. Aquatic organisms thrive best within specific pH ranges, and alkalinity helps maintain these stable conditions. Essentially, it measures how much acid can be added to the water without significantly altering its pH. High alkalinity does not necessarily mean bad water quality. Higher alkalinity levels in water generally mean it can tolerate more acid without changing the pH, while lower levels indicate that the waterbody is more likely to have changes in pH. Alkalinity is measured as the equivalent concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in a water sample.
4) Caliform BacteriaColiform bacteria are organisms present in the environment and in the feces of all warm-blooded animals and humans. Coliform bacteria will not likely cause illness. However, their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms (pathogens) could be in the water system. The result of cleaning a water reservoir in Bangalore through Bioenzym is illustrated below how effective we can make use of Bioenzym for sustainability of water and indirectly it can have many benefits from health perspective of the living beings.
Parameters of Water Sample of the lake before and after treatment with Bioenzym:
| Parameter | Count (Before) | Count (After) | Count (After a year) | Unit | Acceptable limit* |
| BOD | 8 | 6 | 2 | mg/l | 0 |
| COD | 140 | 129 | 8 | mg/l | 50 |
| Residue Free Chlorine | <0.1 | <0.5 | 1 | mg/l | 45 |
| Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N) | <5 | <5 | <0.1 | mg/l | 10 |
| Alkalinity (Total as Calcium Carbonate) | 410 | 285 | 194 | mg/l | 0.2 |
| Caliform Bacteria | 161 | 161 | 161 | MPN/100ml | 200 |
Bio-enzymatic cleaners encourage sustainable living and are safe for the environment. The micro-organisms can penetrate small crevices and cracks to eliminate stains which conventional chemical cleaners cannot. They are affordable in comparison to the toxic chemical cleaners that are available in the market. They encourage a zero waste lifestyle as it is a sustainable way to clean the home. The cleaners do not pollute the lakes and underground water.Gramin Samridhi Foundation is working with Bioenym Academy to use Bioenzym as an engineering intervention to clean and recycle used water for reuse.
