Septic Bacterial Growth, Activation Energy and EcoCare Activator

How septic bacteria grow

Bacterial growth takes place in four phases – the lag phase, log phase, stationary phase and the death phase.

Unlike popular belief, bacteria are not constantly multiplying. During the lag phase, bacteria are metabolically active and whilst individual cell sizes increase, the population size remains constant as they aren’t reproducing. During this phase they’re consuming nutrients and expending energy to create the enzymes needed for cell division.

If the biological conditions are acceptable, the bacteria have sufficient nutrients and have created the enzymes needed for growth, they enter the log phase. This phase is where bacteria begin rapidly multiplying and their populations grow exponentially. This phase continues until nutrients are depleted or conditions inhibit their growth.

Once the bacteria reach the maximum population density allowed by their environment, they enter the stationary phase. During this phase bacteria are dying and multiplying at rates that keep their population constant.

Lastly, if nutrients are depleted or the biological conditions are no longer optimal, the bacteria enter the death phase. During this phase the rate at which cells are dying exceeds the rate at which they are multiplying.

Activation energy and optimal biological conditions

In terms of septic systems and waste digestion, keeping bacteria in the log phase is important as this ensures sufficient populations of beneficial bacteria to continue digesting waste efficiently.

For bacteria to move into and keep returning to the log phase, certain criteria must be met. Their environment must meet requirements (biological conditions) and equally importantly they need to be able to overcome the activation energy needed to enter the log phase.

Activation energy is the energy required for a reaction to take place, in this case the reaction is bacterial cell division. Bacteria overcome the activation energy by consuming specific nutrients which allow them to produce specialised catalysts that lower the required activation energy.

This hurdle is where septic systems struggle. The waste entering wastewater systems doesn’t contain the best nutrients for beneficial bacteria which limits their ability to overcome the activation energy required to enter the log phase and begin multiplying.

How EcoCare Activator stimulates bacterial growth

Wastewater systems don’t always meet the criteria required for bacteria to thrive and remain in effective populations.

Changes in temperature, pH, oxygen content, nutrient availability and everyday chemicals that enter the system all kill off bacteria and contribute to sending bacteria into the death phase. Disinfectants and harsh chemicals are particularly damaging to bacteria during the log phase as they are most vulnerable during cell division.

EcoCare Activator interrupts the bacterial life cycle by introducing biological stimulants, micro and macro nutrients, vitamins and minerals that allow bacteria to produce the catalysts which lower the activation energy required to enter the log phase.

Regardless of changes to the biological conditions of the environment within the septic system which will kill bacteria, EcoCare Activator allows beneficial bacteria to keep returning to the log phase. This means bacterial populations remain high, waste digestion is optimised and septic systems operate at peak performance.

To find out more about how we can guarantee your system gets back to peak performance, please get in touch with us. Here are what some of our happy, long-term customers are saying.