Bold & Gold® Filtration Media

WHAT IS BOLD AND GOLD®?

Bold and Gold® is an advanced biosorption-activated media (BAM) for water treatment. It removes nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria (both E. coli and fecal coliform), and total suspended solids (TSS) from water. Bold & Gold® removes pollutants as water moves through the media. “Bio” is the biological reaction, or in other words, the denitrification process that removes nitrogen. “Sorption”, on the other hand, is the adsorption process that removes dissolved phosphorus. Furthermore, a biological process requires living organisms to remove the nitrogen. Note that the sorption process occurs only through physical contact between the water and the media.

WHAT IS BOLD & GOLD® MADE OF?

Bold & Gold® is sand, clay, recycled tires, iron filings, and sawdust. The components are blended in different mix designs to make up the six Bold & Gold® blends. Please note that the only blend with organics (sawdust) is the On-Site Wastewater Blend. That means all additional Bold & Gold® Filtration Media contain NO ORGANICS. As a result, they provide a long life cycle and prevent decomposition.

• Sand filters suspended solids and harmful colloidal bacteria.
• Recycled tires both impact surface area and contribute carbon to the denitrification process.
• Clay adsorbs phosphorus and retains moisture within the media to provide the right environment for denitrification.
• Iron filings absorb dissolved phosphorus.

The Six Bold & Gold Blends®:

• CTS Media
• ICS Media
• ECT Filtration Media
• ECT3 Filtration Media
• Greenroof Pollution Control Media
• On-Site Wastewater Media

HOW DOES BOLD & GOLD® REMOVE NITROGEN?

Bold & Gold® removes nitrogen through denitrification. Furthermore, the components in the media create the ideal anaerobic environment for the bacteria that facilitate denitrification. Then, the bacteria convert the nitrate form of nitrogen to an inert nitrogen gas. After that, the nitrogen gas transpires into the atmosphere. Nitrogen in gaseous form is naturally in the atmosphere and is not harmful to the environment. Moreover, its removal rates are a factor of residency time. To explain, the longer the water is in contact with the media, the more nitrate is converted to nitrogen gas. The minimum contact time for nitrogen removal to occur in stormwater is fifteen minutes.

Here is the Nitrification Cycle:
Organic Nitrogen → Ammonia → Nitrate → Nitrite → Nitrogen Gas

Bold & Gold® For On-Site Wastewater Applications
In septic tank effluent, the form of nitrogen present is ammonia. To note, ammonia can only convert to nitrate/nitrite through the aerobic process of nitrification. This means oxygen must be present. Converting nitrate/nitrite to nitrogen gas requires an anaerobic environment and is termed denitrification. On-site wastewater should first travel through an aerobic zone for nitrification. Then an anaerobic zone for denitrification.

Bold & Gold® For Wastewater Applications
Nitrogen that discharges from wastewater treatment facilities is typically in the form of nitrates/nitrites when it reaches the discharge point. Bold & Gold® converts the nitrates/nitrites to nitrogen gas before being discharged to the groundwater through infiltration or surface waterbodies.

Bold & Gold® For Stormwater Applications
In most cases, fertilizers are the biggest contributors to the nitrogen form present in stormwater. Fertilizers typically contain the nitrate/nitrite form of nitrogen so it is available as food for plant uptake. Excess nutrients are generally washed away by stormwater. Bold & Gold® removes the excess nutrients by creating an anaerobic environment for denitrification to take place. In our resources section, there are several studies monitoring the effectiveness of Bold & Gold® in stormwater applications. Here’s one, for example: Nitrogen Transport and Transformation Beneath Stormwater Retention Basins in Karst Areas and Effectiveness of Stormwater Best Management Practices for Reducing Nitrate Leaching to Ground Water

HOW DOES BOLD & GOLD® REMOVE PHOSPHORUS?

A sorption process removes phosphorous. To explain, as polluted water filters through Bold & Gold®, the phosphorus attaches itself to the media. In addition to the sorption process, there is also precipitation, ion exchange, and filtration. Together, they aid in removing additional phosphorus. One pound of Bold & Gold® filtration media holds 91 mg of dissolved phosphorus.

HOW DOES BOLD & GOLD® REMOVE E. COLI AND FECAL COLIFORM?

Physical filtration removes bacteria. Bacteria trapped in the Bold & Gold® media die through a process called lysing. Bold & Gold® is more effective in comparison to a typical sand filter because of the surface area of the clay; in addition to the recycled tire which traps bacteria. Sand doesn’t have a lot of surface area, thus it traps fewer bacteria.

IS THE RECYCLED TIRE USED IN BOLD & GOLD® TOXIC?

No. Recycled tire crumb or tire chip is not considered toxic. The manufacturer certifies the tire in Bold & Gold® to be 99.9% metal-free. Furthermore, the water treated by our media is not treated to drinking water standards, and therefore, is not held to the same toxicity standards. The Acute Toxicity of Ground Recycled Automobile Tires on Aquatic Life with Model Species, P. Promelas, overviews the leaching characteristics of this material and its impacts. Reference our robust resources section for additional research.