Article: The microbial way

Tuesday September 15, 2009

IN 1982, Dr Teruo Higa of the University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, discovered a group of naturally occurring micro-organisms which can be combined for various beneficial uses. He named them Effective Micro-organisms (EM) and patented the name.

As a commercial product, it is registered and sold as EM•1 by licensees worldwide. The major micro-organisms in EM•1 are lactic acid bacteria, yeast and phototrophic bacteria.

Higa initially developed EM as an alternative to the use of chemicals in agriculture. Through research over time, EM was found to be effective in other fields, including environmental remediation and livestock operations.

How it works

The micro-organisms in EM•1 have various functions. Through the production of lactic acid, lactic acid bacteria inhibit the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms. Yeast produce biologically-active agents such as amino acids and polysaccharides. Phototrophic bacteria utilise solar energy to metabolise organic and inorganic substances, hence its use in waste treatment.

In a healthy environment, living beings or micro-organisms live in a balance. In bad environments (such as a polluted river or industrial wastewater), the amount of beneficial micro-organisms are reduced while putrefying micro-organisms have become dominant. To restore such degraded environments, it is critical to transform the microflora by increasing the number of beneficial micro-organisms. Applying EM solution is said to do this.

In Malaysia, EM•1 is produced by Jamof at its factory in Bukit Tinggi, Johor (under licence by Higa's EM Research Organisation). It contains only micro-organisms that are found locally and is sold at around RM22 a litre. This EM concentrate has to be "activated" – by mixing with molasses, salt and water, then left for five days – before use, otherwise the micro-organisms remain dormant.

The EM-activated solution (EM-AS) is used in farming (as fertiliser and to suppress soil pathogens), aquaculture (added to feed and to kill harmful bacteria in ponds), animal husbandry (to reduce ammonia smell in waste and added to animal feed to improve digestion), to accelerate the decomposition of wastes and to treat wastewater. It is also being promoted for general cleaning purposes in homes.

Garbage enzyme (made by fermenting vegetable and fruit waste with jaggery and water for three months) is being promoted as a home-made version of EM. Soo Lee Choo of consultancy firm EM Admins, however, cautions that garbage enzyme differs in content from EM.

He says garbage enzyme should be used with care as one can never be sure of what micro-organisms it contains as these depended on what waste was used in the fermentation. EM, on the other hand, is a consortium of some 80 different microbes which are cultured in a controlled environment.

Why mudballs?

If EM-activated solution is sprayed into flowing rivers, it would just disperse before making an impact. An EM mudball, on the other hand, will sink into the river substrate and there, slowly disintegrate, allowing the EM to escape into the water.

The mudballs are a mixture of clay soil, rice bran, EM-activated solution, molasses and bokashi (rice bran fermented with EM and molasses). For river clean-ups, the recommended dosage is between one and 10 mudballs (depending on the severity of the pollution) for 1sqm. Often, EM-activated solution is also pumped into the substrate for faster result.

The EM is said to inhibit the growth of algae and break down polluting sludge that has accumulated in riverbeds. Soo says EM is capable of treating both organic and inorganic waste, including chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic.

Reference: www.emrojapan.com

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 15 September 2009