01 — MATERIAL
Is it biodegradable?
Volatile-solids testing helps characterise the organic share. A high organic fraction is useful information, but it does not prove that all of it will digest in your lagoon.
The biology, without the overpromise
What bacteria can
do for sludge.
Bacterial sludge reduction is the breakdown of biodegradable organic solids. It can be useful within a treatment system that supports it. It is never a way to make every kind of sludge disappear.
From complex solids to simpler material
Start with the
mechanism.
Microorganisms produce enzymes that help break complex organic material into smaller compounds. Microbial activity can then use those compounds as part of normal biological treatment.
Adding selected organisms is called bioaugmentation. It complements the process conditions at the plant; it does not substitute for the oxygen, contact and operating time that the process needs.
Compare treatment formatsThree checks before treatment
Material. Conditions.
Delivery.
02 — CONDITIONS
Can biology work here?
Review water temperature, pH, oxygen and mixing. Where process conditions are limiting, address them before expecting an added culture to change the outcome.
03 — DELIVERY
Will the product reach it?
A water-column load and a settled blanket call for different delivery choices. A sinking format targets the bed; soluble and liquid formats disperse through water.
The limit stays the same at every dose. Grit, sand, silt, mineral precipitates and plastics remain. Biological treatment does not eliminate sludge.
Read results carefully
A lower blanket is
a measurement.
It needs context.
A change in depth may reflect digestion, settling, compaction or changes in operating conditions. To judge treatment, consider the solids measurements, sampling locations, elapsed time and what else changed at the plant.
Controlled studies, a supplier’s field report and SediLogic’s own bench work answer different questions. A result elsewhere is evidence to examine, not a performance guarantee for your lagoon.
Find out what you are treating
Send a sample.
Start with better information.
SediLogic can characterise a representative sludge sample you collect and send. Ask for sampling and shipping instructions before collecting it. Existing survey figures and plant records can support the discussion.
Sample characterisation is laboratory work. SediLogic does not perform or arrange on-site sludge surveys.
Discuss sample testingFurther reading
Put the operating
conditions in context.
These EPA resources explain lagoon processes and operating considerations. They are general guidance, not trials or endorsements of SediLogic products.
Prepared by SediLogic Technologies. Updated 17 September 2026.
Start with the right question
What could your sludge
respond to?
Tell us what is accumulating, where it sits and how your lagoon operates. We will help you work out the next step.