Bawat Mk2

This technical report represents the shore-based evaluation of the Bawat Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) Mk2 – Mobile Treatment Unit, developed by Bawat A/S Agern Alle, 2970 Horsholm, Denmark (www.bawat.com). This work was conducted to evaluate the potential of the system to kill living organisms in the ballast water of ships to reduce the risk of aquatic nuisance species migration in the Laurentian Great Lakes. The Bawat Mobile Treatment system is designed to heat water killing the organisms carried in the water in a single pass through the treatment system. The single pass can be filling or discharging a ships ballast water and requires no retention period. Biological effectiveness was examined October 22–24, 2023 at the AMI Consulting Engineers facility in Superior, WI during three efficacy trials with a single pass of harbor water through the Bawat BWMS Mk2 – Mobile Treatment Unit. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of reducing live organisms in three size classes per unit volume: organisms ≥50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally zooplankton), organisms ≥10 and <50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally protists), and organisms <10 µm in minimum dimension (e.g., total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus spp.). Samples were compared to the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters (USCG, 2012) with a focus on the reduction in the number of propagules in the treated water. The Bawat BWMS Mk2 was found to be highly effective at reducing the densities of organisms in all three regulated size classes. Protist, zooplankton, E. coli and Enterococcus spp. densities on discharge were below the USCG ballast water discharge standard (BWDS) in all trials. Temperature of discharge water was approximately 5°C higher than uptake water, but other water quality parameters were minimally impacted by treatment.Lake Superior Research Institute; Great Waters Research Collaborative; Natural resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth; AMI Consulting Engineers; Balcer Taxonom

LAND-BASED EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BAWAT BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MK2-MOBILE TREATMENT UNIT

This technical report represents the land-based evaluation of the Bawat Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) Mk2 – Mobile Treatment Unit, developed by Bawat A/S Agern Alle, 2970 Horsholm, Denmark (www.bawat.com). This work was conducted to evaluate the potential of the system to be used as a flow-through water treatment method for the Laurentian Great Lakes, treating via heat treatment with one pass of water through the treatment system. The evaluation began in September 2021 and ended October 2021. All analyses were conducted at either the Montreal Pier Facility or the Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS), both located in Superior, WI, USA. Biological effectiveness was examined at the Montreal Pier Facility during a commissioning trial and four efficacy trials with a single pass of harbor water through the Bawat BWMS Mk2 – Mobile Treatment Unit. Harbor water was amended to achieve ETV Protocol challenge conditions. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of remaining live organisms in three size classes per unit volume: organisms ≥50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally zooplankton), organism entities ≥10 µm in any dimension and with cell sizes <50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally protists), and organisms <10 µm in minimum dimension (e.g., total culturable heterotrophic bacteria, total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., and toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139). Samples were compared to the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters (USCG, 2012) with a focus on the reduction in the number of propagules in the treated water. The Bawat BWMS Mk2 was found to be highly effective at reducing the densities of organisms in all three regulated size classes. E. coli and Enterococcus spp., and Vibrio cholerae densities on discharge were below the USCG ballast water discharge standard (BWDS) in all trials. Protist densities were below the USCG BWDS in all but the final trial. Temperature of discharge water was approximately 5°C higher than uptake water, but other water quality parameters were minimally impacted by treatment

LAND-BASED EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OPTIMARIN BALLAST SYSTEM IN THE GREAT LAKES

This technical report presents the land-based evaluation of the Optimarin Ballast System, Model 334/340FX2. This work was conducted to evaluate the potential of the system to be used as a flow-through water treatment method for the Laurentian Great Lakes, treating via filtration and UV exposure on uptake and UV exposure again on discharge. The evaluation began September 2021 and ended October 2021. All analyses were conducted at either the Montreal Pier Facility or the Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS), both located in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. Biological effectiveness was examined during a commissioning trial and five efficacy trials with overnight retention of harbor water at the Montreal Pier Facility that was amended to achieve ETV Protocol challenge conditions. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of remaining live organisms in three size classes per unit volume: organisms ≥50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally zooplankton), organism entities ≥10 µm in any dimension and with cell sizes 95% compared to control discharge samples

LAND-BASED EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OPTIMARIN DN100 AND DN150 BALLAST SYSTEMS IN THE GREAT LAKES

This technical report presents the land-based evaluation of two Optimarin Ballast System models. The focus was primarily on the Model 68/340FX2 using a DN100 chamber but also includes data for one trial using the Model 334/340FX2 with a DN150 ultraviolet (UV) chamber. This work evaluated the potential of the systems to be used as a flow-through water treatment methods for the Laurentian Great Lakes, treating via filtration and UV exposure on uptake and UV exposure again on discharge. The evaluation began August 2022 and ended October 2022. All analyses were conducted at either the Montreal Pier Facility or the Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS), both located in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. Biological effectiveness was examined during five efficacy trials, which included overnight retention of treated harbor water at the Montreal Pier Facility that had been amended to achieve ETV Protocol challenge conditions (NSF International, 2010). Trial 1 assessed performance of both systems consecutively during a short timeframe to ensure water quality was as similar as possible. In Trials 2-5, the Model 68/340FX2 with a DN100 UV chamber was tested. Biological effectiveness was assessed in terms of remaining live organisms in three size classes per unit volume: • Organisms ≥50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally zooplankton), • organisms ≥10 µm and <50 µm in minimum dimension (nominally protists), • and organisms <10 µm in minimum dimension (nominally bacteria; e.g., total culturable heterotrophic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., and toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139). Samples were compared to the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters (U.S. Coast Guard, 2012) with a focus on the reduction in the number of propagules in treated water versus control water. The Model 68/340FX2 Optimarin system using a DN100 UV chamber was found to be effective at reducing the densities of organisms in all three regulated size classes. The densities of zooplankton in treatment discharge samples did not meet the USCG Ballast Water Discharge Standard (BWDS) but were >98% lower than control discharge in all trials. The densities of protists in the treatment discharge samples were above the USCG BWDS in all trials but had decreased by >84% when compared to control discharge samples. All indicator bacteria (i.e., E. coli, Enterococcus spp., and Vibrio Cholerae) were below the USCG BWDS on uptake and discharge and decreased to less than the limit of detection after treatment. The Optimarin system Model 334/340FX2 using a DN150 ultraviolet (UV) chamber showed very similar trends to in all size classes when compared to testing completed in 2021 (Polkinghorne et al., 2022) and when compared to testing completed in 2022 with Model 68/340FX2 Optimarin system using a DN100 UV chamber

LAND-BASED EVALUATION OF THE 7.5 HP NANO BUBBLE OZONE/OXYGEN WATER CLEANING SYSTEM (2021 VERSION)

This technical report presents the land-based evaluation of the Nanobubble Ozone/Oxygen Water Cleaning System (NBOT 2x7.5 HP-60 units) developed by the NanoClear Group Inc. of Rockville, Maryland, USA. This evaluation was a follow-up to work done previously at the Montreal Pier Facility using one 7.5 HP Nanobubble Ozone/Oxygen Water Cleaning System. The work was conducted to evaluate the potential of the system to be used as an in-tank, recirculating ballast water treatment method for the Laurentian Great Lakes. The evaluation began in June 2021 and ended in July 2021. All analyses were conducted at either the Montreal Pier Facility or the Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS), both located in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. The NBOT 2x7.5-HP uses cavitation to create ultrafine microbubbles (nanobubbles) containing ozone (O3) generated by the system. According to the developer, the resulting ozone and hydroxyl radical byproducts destroy all chemicals containing activated functional groups (aldehydes, ketones, amines, nitrates, etc.), RNA, DNA, peptides, steroids, as well as activated organic compounds (herbicides and pesticides), and microbial toxins. Biological effectiveness was examined during the course of a commissioning trial plus three trials ranging from 96 to 120 hours treatment using ambient water conditions at the Montreal Pier Facility. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of live organisms in three size classes per unit volume: organisms ≥50 µm in minimum dimension (i.e., nominally zooplankton), organism entities ≥10 µm in any dimension and with cell sizes <50 µm in minimum dimension (i.e., nominally protists), and organisms <10 µm in minimum dimension (i.e., total culturable heterotrophic bacteria, total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus spp.). Samples were compared to the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters (USCG, 2012) with a focus on the reduction in the number of propagules in treated water versus control water. The NBOT 2x7.5 HP 60 system was found to be effective at reducing the densities of organisms in all three regulated size classes, although the system was not presented with water meeting ETV challenge conditions

Great Waters Research Collaborative: Great Lakes Ship Ballast Monitoring Project

This Technical Report, developed by the Great Waters Research Collaborative (GWRC), presents methods and findings from the Great Lakes Ship Ballast Monitoring Project (Project), a two-year effort supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA’s) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative via the Maritime Administration. The Lake Carriers’ Association requested that the GWRC team conduct this project to help it meet a requirement to execute a study evaluating risk associated with laker ballast water discharge in USEPA Vessel General Permit (VGP) 2013 Part 6.15.5.b., in response to Minnesota's 401 certification of VGP2013. The overarching goal of the Project was to characterize aquatic organism densities and community composition in Great Lakes ships’ ballast water (uptake and discharge) and analyze target species presence/absence in selected source water and receiving ports.Project funded by the United States Maritime Administration and United States Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Multidimensional Approach to Invasive Species Prevention

onindigenous species (NIS) cause global biotic homogenization and extinctions, with commercial shipping being a leading vector for spread of aquatic NIS. To reduce transport of NIS by ships, regulations requiring ballast water exchange (BWE) have been implemented by numerous countries. BWE appears to effectively reduce risk for freshwater ports, but provides only moderate protection of marine ports. In the near future, ships may be required to undertake ballast water treatment (BWT) to meet numeric performance standards, and BWE may be phased out of use. However, there are concerns that BWT systems may not operate reliably in fresh or turbid water, or both. Consequently, it has been proposed that BWE could be used in combination with BWT to maximize the positive benefits of both management strategies for protection of freshwater ports. We compared the biological efficacy of "BWE plus BWT" against "BWT alone" at a ballast water treatment experimental test facility. Our comparative evaluation showed that even though BWT alone significantly reduced abundances of all tested organism groups except total heterotrophic bacteria, the BWE plus BWT strategy significantly reduced abundances for all groups and furthermore resulted in significantly lower abundances of most groups when compared to BWT alone. Our study clearly demonstrates potential benefits of combining BWE with BWT to reduce invasion risk of freshwater organisms transported in ships' ballast water, and it should be of interest to policy makers and environmental managers