Steve Leach is the owner of Leach Microbial Consulting. He has over 34 years of experience in wastewater biology. Steve is a co-author of WEF’s Activated Sludge and Nutrient Removal 3rd edition and one of the lead instructors of the Annual WEFTEC microbiology workshop. Steve has presented to various conferences throughout the world as well as hands-on workshops. He continues to teach classes throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has worked worldwide with municipal, pulp & paper, food & beverage, chemical and refinery treatment systems evaluating their microbiology and relating it to plant operations. Steve is recognized for his expertise in filament and protist identification.
Leach Microbial Consulting
A view beneath the surface
The 4 Key Elements for Wastewater Biomass
Floc
Filaments
Higher life forms
Bulk water
Services
Microscopic Examination
The microscopic exam is based on 4 primary categories. These include Floc, Filaments, Higher Life forms, and the Bulk water. All four of these not only provide an indication of how well the biomass is performing but can be evaluated by most anyone with some training.
Training and Workshops
Treatment systems are constantly changing in treatment permits, technology and the workforce. It's necessary to keep up with the understanding of the microbiology and how it reacts to all three. LMC can provide training for different levels of knowledge as well as hands-on workshops actually using Phase contrast microscopes. Throughout the year various workshops will be offered with different instructors and areas of focus.
Biomass consulting
Sometimes it takes a deeper look at the biomass using the microscope to get a good understanding why the biomass is not settling or forming foam or even having a tough time nitrifying. The data may not show the poor floc formation or presence of tightly bound Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) or Loosely bound EPS. An understanding of what may be causing this can be done by combining what is seen under the scope and analyzing the data.
Due to COVID-19 Upcoming Events are on standstill for now
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