Septech Emirates has launched a new product – BioSol – which it claims will revolutionise the treatment of sewerage worldwide.

The non-toxic product – now available for the first time through the Sharjah-based company – has the ability to ‘switch off’ bacteria and make wastewater odourless. The company, which has bagged its first odour control project in the Middle East where the product will be utilised, also has outlined major plans for developing its business in the region.
Elaborating on Biosol, David Heffernan, managing director of Septech Emirates, says: “Sewage odour emissions and poor-quality sewage effluents are a major cause for environmental pollution. The odour emissions indicate that valuable sewage assets are being subjected to corrosion from acid attack, and that poor quality effluents are degrading land systems and precious water resources.”
BioSol adopts a systems approach to sewage management and offers a unique, cost-effective, sustainable biological solution for odour control and improved sewage effluent quality. The product uses an organically-derived liquid, which is administered at strategic locations in the sewage catchment. In addition to removing unwanted smells, BioSol saves on costs by preventing corrosion and is also environmentally-friendly and safe, says Heffernan.
“At the heart of BioSol’s technology is the discovery of the additives required to regulate microbial functioning,” he says. “These additives can be linked to hormones in our bodies, which regulate our body cells through specific communication signals. In a similar manner, BioSol uses communication signals to regulate specific groups of bacteria in sewage systems.
“These organically-derived communications signals are extracted from plants, which use the signals to regulate their interaction with microbes in the environment. Both plants and animals have evolved to make use of these concepts over millions of years. BioSol, which is a natural evolution of this concept, removes the cause of odour from wastewater.
“Offensive sewage odours originate in biofilms (bacterial slime layers) found on the walls of sewage pipes, which are home to billions of sulphur-reducing (odour-forming) bacteria. These bacteria are responsible for increasing the level of dissolved sulphides in the sewage and the generation of potential odorous hydrogen sulphide (H2S).”
“BioSol controls odour by ‘switching off’ bacteria that form the biofilms. This results in bacteria dissociating from the biofilm and resuming a planktonic or single-cell state. The biofilm thereby disintegrates. Without the presence of biofilms, odour is almost completely eradicated, with a theoretical success rate of 99.9 per cent.
“Apart from removing odour, BioSol significantly reduces costs associated with the corrosion of sewerage infrastructure by controlling sulphuric acid and H2S production. By reducing the potential for fats, oil and grease in the sewerage catchment, the likelihood of blockages and system build-up is also reduced substantially,” he explains.
BioSol, which is a product of over five years of research in Australia, also improves effluent quality and significantly reduces the need for chemicals. Being non-toxic, the product has no adverse effects on the environment, and human health.
“We’re excited to be introducing BioSol to the Middle East,” says Heffernan. “The technology is revolutionary and has been used in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore with excellent results. When you think about the rate at which the building and construction industry is growing in the Middle East, the potential for this product in the GCC is enormous.”
Septech has completed successful trials in the UAE and an international consultant has done diligence study trials on other international applications where the product is being used, he adds.
Besides sewage treatment plants, the technology which is ideal for hot climate, has other applications including medical hygiene and can also be used as an anti-fouling paint for boats.
Septech Emirates, established by Heffernan in the UAE seven years ago, is a specialised process engineering company which markets and manufactures wastewater treatment plants, low-cost precast housing, precast infrastructure items and complete turnkey marina solutions in the Middle East.
The company is setting up an office and manufacturing facility in Qatar, has established an alliance with an international company in Iraq, and is in the process of setting up an office in Sudan. It is also involved with a number of projects in Oman.
Some of the major projects executed by Septech includes Al Maha Desert Resort for Emirates Airlines, a treatment plant for the private palace of Dr Sheikh Sultan Al Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah and City Centre for Majid Al Futtaim.
Further information about the company and its products is available from its website (www.septechemirates.com).