Indigo™ is an all-natural liquid bio-chemical from Agri-Gro Marketing, Inc., which is derived from plant extracts and a proprietary blend of naturally occurring bacteria and fungi. It is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, and contains no pathogenic microorganisms. The INDIGO™ formula was inspired by Agri-Gro™, a product developed for the agricultural industry. Agri-Gro has been used in commercial agriculture for over 20 years and is scientifically proven to enhance the yields and quality of virtually all crops in addition to improving the soils health by stimulating microbial activity and accelerating the breakdown of organic matter.

After years of success in the industry, it was discovered that the same principles which make Agri-Groฎ effective in the soil, hold great promise in the treatment of wastewater and other sources of bio-solids. Consequently, Agri-Gro Marketing, Inc. formulated INDIGO™, a new, proprietary formulation which accelerates the breakdown of volatile bio-solids and effectively controls odors in waste treatment facilities, waste lagoons, drying beds, feedlots, etc..

INDIGO™ Development

The development of INDIGO™ was inspired by the work of Dr. Joe C. Spruill (1935 – 1983), a biochemist and microbial researcher. Dr. Spruill is best known for helping develop the stabilization process for Aloe Vera, allowing it to be used in the cosmetic and beverage industry. Dr. Spruill was also heavily involved in the study of symbiotic microorganisms in human health and agriculture.

As a result of his research, Dr. Spruill was able to isolate and stabilize a broad spectrum of beneficial microbes. He developed a sophisticated culturing process which produced a consistent, effective biological growth activator that contained no detectable living organisms in its concentrated form. However, when diluted with water and applied to aerobic or anaerobic environments, it would accelerate microbial activity and enhance the breakdown of organic and inorganic deposits.

His findings, though improved from their original form, have been instrumental in the development of INDIGO™. Derived from over 30 strains of microbes ( including aerobic and anaerobic), INDIGO™ is effective in both oxygen rich and oxygen deprived environments. INDIGO™ contains no detectable living microorganisms; however, when applied to a medium containing a food source, populations of healthy microbes explode as much as 2000% within the first 3-5 days resulting in accelerated breakdown and decomposition of organic and some inorganic compounds in soil and organic waste.

INDIGO™ - Outcomes

INDIGO™ is specifically formulated for the treatment of wastewater, organic deposits, waste lagoons, lift stations, grease traps, sewer traps, control grease, sewer pipes, septic tanks, cesspools, dairies, feedlots and any other source of organic waste or bio-solid residue. The product is designed to affordably control wastewater pollutants and odors by stimulating natural microbial activity, which accelerates biodegradation. INDIGO™ contains proteins, complexed carbohydrates and other naturally-derived biological growth stimulants that promote and accelerate natural microbial activity in organic waste.

When applied correctly to wastewater systems, INDIGO™ works to produce the following results:

• Reduce total solids handling costs up to 30-50%.
• Reduce volatile biosolids (organics) up to 80-90%.
• Reduce or eliminate chemical/polymer and lime stabilization applications.
• Improve the settling ability of activated sludge in aerobic digesters.
• Reduce scum formation.
• Outstanding odor reducing capability.
• Reduce plant operating costs by improving operational efficiencies.

Product Application Overview

Because the product is derived from a broad spectrum of bacteria, INDIGO™ is effective in both aerobic and anaerobic systems. The results provided in this document were obtained from an aerobic digestion system.

• INDIGO™ should be introduced to the system where it can be initially mixed with air to maximize the growth of bacteria. For most effective results, INDIGO™ should be thoroughly mixed with the biosolids to maximize dispersion and to stimulate microbial activity throughout the entire mass of biosolids.

o For Aerobic Systems: Once the product has been thoroughly mixed, and pockets of air are present within sludge, some facilities are able to reduce or temporarily shut off air injection to realize additional savings through decanting.

• The product is effective when initially applied at rates of 20 ppm (1:50,000) to 50 ppm (1:20,000) depending upon the facility and then decreasing the dosage as microbial activity increases. An initial dosage of 7 – 15 ppm every 24 hours for the first 72 hours is suggested. Subsequent doses are applied every 20-30 days or less frequently depending upon quality and quantity of additional waste material being introduced into the system.

A wastewater treatment facility in Mount Holly, North Carolina (additional information available upon request) used the INDIGO™ formula (formerly known as Bio-Booster™) during February and March of 2002. During that time the facility improved plant efficiency, removed lime stabilization and cut their hauling costs in half. The information contained below provides a high-level overview of the facility and how they cut the normal process to thicken and prepare the biosolids for land application. The following is an outline of the facility’s treatment process prior to using the INDIGO™ formula.

• Waste biosolids to an aerobic digester (2 - 750,000 gallon tanks).
• Biosolids are thickened as much as possible, usually to 2.8% to 3% solids and the clear water is decanted.
• Sludge is then transferred to tank # 1 where sludge is stored until the tank is full.
• When tank # 1 is full, the biosolids are lime stabilized to meet the 503 requirements for land application.

With the INDIGO™ FORMULA test, the same process was followed, thickened and decanted in tank and then transferred to tank # 1. The first application which occurred on 02-11-2002, consisted of 20 gallons of the INDIGO™ FORMULA added to 475,620 gallons of biosolids in tank # 1, followed by another 7.5 gallons of the INDIGO™ FORMULA added on 02-17-2002. The results are as follows:

Summary: 750,002 gallons of biosolids were added to the 475,620 gallons of biosolids in tank # 1 on 2-11-02 creating a sum of 1,225,622 gallons of biosolids treated with INDIGO™ FORMULA. The facility no longer needs to use lime stabilization to meet the 503 requirements because the INDIGO™ FORMULA generated a 95.9% reduction in volatile solids.

Cost Savings:

Dry Tons Before INDIGO™ FORMULA - 1,225,622 gallons of biosolids at 3.08% solids = 143.1 Dry Tons

Dry Tons After INDIGO™ FORMULA - 559,743 gallons of biosolids at 3.08% solids = 71.89 Dry Tons

*This savings and drop in dry tons was achieved over a 2 month period.

ODOR CONTROL:

Recreational Vehicle Holding Tank Systems
Holly Bluff Marina - Florida - St Johns River

Owner of a rental houseboat unit with a 12 year history of odor control problems had tried numerous control products without success. "Upon adding 8-ounces of INDIGO™ into the 140-gallon holding tank system the odor was gone in less than a week. Periodic treatments are continuing to eliminate odors." Rick Armstrong - Owner

INDIGO™
Blythe, California

The Blythe WWTP is a 1.5 MGD plant using an undersized aerobic digester. Due to the limited capacity of their digester (90,000 gallons) they were forced to waste to drying beds daily to make room for the incoming sludge. They were in desperate need of a new digester when before using INDIGO™ in September of 2002.

The information contained below provides an overview of the Blythe facility and how INDIGO™ transformed a 90,000 gallon tank from a 24 hour holding bin to an aerobic digester.

Sludge handling process prior to using INDIGO

• WAS (Waste Activated Sludge) is routed to a clarifier and thickened to .6% to .9% solids.
• WAS is transferred to aerobic digester aerated for approximately 20 hours
• WAS is transferred to drying beds daily.

Sludge handling process with INDIGO

• WAS is routed to a clarifier and thickened to .6% to .9% solids.
• WAS is transferred to aerobic digester aerated for approximately 16 hours
• Clear water is decanted daily making room for incoming sludge
• WAS is transferred to drying once per week.

The initial inoculation of INDIGO™was 50 PPM to condition the digester, after some experimentation during the first month they settled on a sustained dosage of 16.72 PPM (approximately 2 quarts per day) simply poured into their aerobic digester.

Financial Impact: Blythe has not yet calculated the net savings realized by using INDIGO™ but have identified savings in the following areas that will more than off set the cost of the product:

• Capital improvements (need for a larger digester)
• Labor costs for sludge handling
• Hauling costs
• State required lab tests on composted sludge
• Electrical power (blower time in digester reduced 20%)

Blythe, California
Settling and Decanting

Blythe California
Bio-Solid Reduction

Summary

Unlike other biological products that require expert application because they contain live microbes, INDIGO™ can be easily applied without any special training or handling. The product is all-natural, non-toxic and contains no harmful substances.

INDIGO™ is a stable product and has a long shelf life which safeguards investments and protects unused product. While INDIGO™ is derived from naturally occurring bacteria and fungi, it is stable and has a long shelf life thanks to a sophisticated stabilization process proprietary only to INDIGO™. When properly stored in a sealed container, out of direct sunlight, INDIGO™ will stay in solution for over 4 years without losing its effectiveness. Other bio-chemicals containing live microbes or other organic materials will break down and lose their effectiveness in a short period of time, INDIGO™ will not!

INDIGO™ reduces total operation costs through increased plant efficiency and the reduction of the total bio-solids output that are typically hauled for land application. The product does not require external expertise to apply or handle making application of the product simple and cost effective.

INDIGO™ is very cost effective and typically generates savings that far exceed the purchase price of the product. In cases where an existing facility is running at capacity, it is most probable that INDIGO™ can extend the life and capacity of the existing equipment and postpone expensive facility upgrades.

In summary, INDIGO™ increases the speed, efficiency and effectiveness in which wastewater systems are able to process biosolids. When properly applied, a water reclamation facility can expect to reduce their overall bio-solid output by as much as 20 to 50 percent. In addition, they can reduce volatile bio-solids by as much as 80 to 95 percent in the same time period that was previously required to meet the minimum government standards before land application.

Mfg by:

Agri-Gro Marketing, Inc.
800-881-8801
FAX 573-996-4769
Indigo@agrigro.com