PRESS RELEASE: Awards for Most Successful Croats Living Abroad: Boris Miksic, CEO of Cortec® Corporation – The Winner of “Vecernjakova domovnica” Award for Person of the Year!

We are more than proud to announce that Boris Miksic, Croatian-American entrepreneur, received “Vecernjakova domovnica” award, in the most important category – Person of the year. “Vecernjakova domovnica” is the annual award given since 2006 to the most successful Croats living outside the borders of their homeland. The award is given by most prestige Croatian daily newspapers, Vecernji List in the German city of Bad Homburg. On Saturday, March 4, a large award ceremony was held, with 400 guests attending from the world of politics, business, sports, culture and music. Members of numerous Croatian communities from all over the world gathered at the prestigious Kurhaus Congress Hall. The ceremony was also held under the sponsorship of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, and under the sponsorship of the Croatian Heritage Foundation. “This annual award ceremony, welcoming such large number of successful people is not only the most important social event for people of Croatian roots, but also a big and exciting event for Bad Homburg”, said Mayor of Bad Homburg, Alexander Hetjes during the event.

A successful Croatian American entrepreneur, Boris Mikšić, is the CEO of Cortec® Corporation, global manufacturer of green corrosion inhibitors. His ten production plants and logistic centars are located all over the world. For the last decade, he has worked with his team to brand Croatia as the central European point for environmentally safe corrosion protection technologies His EU plant, EcoCortec, exports patented VCI/VpCI products that are manufactured in Croatia, all over the world. Boris Miksic graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Zagreb and emigrated to USA in 1977.

He founded his own company, Cortec® Corporation, in a garage. Cortec® became a global leader in the field of corrosion inhibitors. Boris Miksic is the owner of 65 patents in the USA, Canada, Europe, France and Japan and has published about a hundred scientific papers. He is is the coauthor of four technical books. Mr. Miksic has been actively participating in the development of Croatian economy for decades. For his special services in the economy he was appointed honorary consul general of the Republic of Croatia in USA. In 2004, he decided to invest more seriously in his homeland and launched EcoCortec® plant.

Today, EcoCortec is one of the biggest VCI plants in Europe. More than 90% of its assortment is exported to Europe, Asia and the USA. In 2016, he opened production facility and logistics center near Split, where Cortec’s chemical products are manufactured. Plant in Split has recently been 100% powered by solar energy, since company’s goal is to use its own energy resources. Croatian plants supply the world’s largest car manufacturers: Mercedes, Volvo, Ford, Toyota and other important systems such as Bosch, IBM, General Electric, Caterpillar, Rolls Royce Group, Končar, Ministry of Defense and much more. Boris Miskic is a well know humanitarian who has been helping numerous organizations in Croatia for decades. During the Croatian War of Independence, he was one of the first Croatians abroad to organize much needed aid to war-torn Croatia. 

President of Croatian Parliament who also attended the ceremony, made a speech in which he reminded of the strong ties between Croatians outside the country and their homeland: “These are such inspirational stories of people who have established themselves in the countries where they live and achieved incredible success. At the same time, they remained firmly connected with the homeland.” He thanked them for the help they provided to their country during the hardest times of war and now. “It was not easy to explain the truth about Croatia at a time when the country was just being born and when we were going through brutal aggression and we needed help. Croats outside Croatia were one of the first to reach out in many ways and helped to defend our country”.

“It is hard to explain how much this award means to me”, said Mr Miksic. “My vision for Croatia was always to be stable, prosperous country that it is today. Decades ago, I imagined it to be a crucial point for developing our environmentally safe technologies because I was aware of its potential. Today, my team and I turned our dream into reality and I run most of my business from here. We became a green hub of Europe for green VCI technologies and have big plans for the future“!

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PRESS RELEASE: Give Your Plants a Nitrogen Boost This Spring!

Bionetix® International has just expanded its selection of biofertilizers for agriculture! SOIL-BAC™ Premium is a new version of SOIL-BAC™ that can boost atmospheric nitrogen independent of symbiotic relationships with plants. This makes SOIL-BAC™ Premium a great option for early spring soil treatment and throughout the growing season!

Helping Plants Grow
SOIL-BAC™ Premium has several features that help plants grow. First, it contains plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizae—two beneficial microorganisms that promote decomposition of organic material in the soil. These increase active soil biomass and make phosphorus and other nutrients more available to plants. They also help improve soil structure and conditions by digesting debris and pesticide residue. Furthermore, SOIL-BAC™ Premium contains beneficial vitamins, trace minerals, and other nutrients essential to plant growth. While regular SOIL-BAC™ does include bacteria that enhance atmospheric-nitrogen-fixation (making this critical nutrient more available to plant roots), it can do so only by forming a symbiotic relationship with plants. SOIL-BAC™ Premium goes a step beyond with the addition of a bacteria strain that can function as a free-living organism in the soil. This gives an extra boost of nitrogen to soil even before plants are fully grown, making it ideal for spring planting.

Where to Apply SOIL-BAC™ Premium
SOIL-BAC™ Premium has a wide range of potential applications—as diverse as the crops that grow in the fields. Farmers can use it to promote the healthy growth of fruits, vegetables, grains, or sod. Landscapers can include it in their routine lawn care services for homes or businesses. Golf courses and sports fields, where grass is a focal point of maintenance, can also promote healthier turf by using SOIL-BAC™ Premium.

When to Apply SOIL-BAC™ Premium
Bioaugmentation with SOIL-BAC™ Premium should begin in the spring when the ground temperature has reached 15-24 °C (59-75 °F). At least eight applications are recommended throughout the season, and more are recommended under periods of high stress—it is not possible to apply too much of this soil- enriching biofertilizer! The rate of application is based on the size of the field—more for greens, tees, and farm fields; slightly less for fairways and sport fields. SOIL-BAC™ Premium can be applied using a sprayer or by adding it to the irrigation system for convenience.

So Much More Than Fertilizer
Application of traditional fertilizers can be helpful, but SOIL-BAC™ Premium offers so much more by harnessing natural mechanisms that boost the healthy biological functions at work in the soil. Instead of just adding macronutrients, SOIL-BAC™ Premium acts as a biofertilizer that helps plants make better use of the nutrients already at their root tips, promoting healthier crops and a lower risk of disease. Get ready for healthier crops, lawns, and fields by adding SOIL BAC™ Premium to your planting and lawn care routine this spring! Contact Bionetix® to get started:
https://www.bionetix-international.com/contact-us/

Keywords: biofertilizer, nitrogen fixing bacteria, Bionetix, bioaugmentation, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, help plants grow, increase soil biomass, promote healthier turf, improve soil structure, SOIL-BAC

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NEWS ALERT: Bionetix® International Passes ISO 9001 Recertification Audit

We are pleased to report that Bionetix® International has passed its ISO 9001:2015 recertification audit! After a long period of virtual audits due to the pandemic, the quality management system audit took place in person once again on January 5th-6th, with Michel Morin of SGS finding no major or minor non-conformities. His survey led to the general conclusion that the quality management system at Bionetix® is “robust and well implemented,” employees are competent with the system, and responses to customers are timely and thorough.

The audit trail included results of a customer satisfaction survey sent out to some of our largest customers in November 2022. Based on feedback, the highest rated areas for Bionetix® are customer service (92% rating) and quality (94% rating). In addition to meeting its customer satisfaction goals, Bionetix® once again met its target of 95% on time shipments. Furthermore, the auditor noted in his general observation that “commitment to quality is very evident by the continuous involvement of the Leadership Team on an ongoing basis. The system is well maintained.”

Maintenance of quality management system certification helps ensure that Bionetix® products and services consistently meet the expectations and requirements of our customers and spurs us on to more efficient and improved customer satisfaction. We are proud to have successfully passed our recertification audit and look forward to continued improvement of our service to you, our customers! Contact us with questions and feedback:
https://www.bionetix-international.com/contact-us/

Keywords: Bionetix, ISO 9001, quality management system, Bionetix customer satisfaction, Bionetix product quality, Bionetix customer service

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PRESS RELEASE: How to Reduce Waste by Maximizing Biogas Efficiency

Overcoming Biogas Inhibitors with BCP12™

 

Reduce, reuse, recycle. That is the increasingly popular motto that reminds humans to be responsible in their use of natural resources—both renewable and nonrenewable. Biogas production for heat and power generation is one way to do so by turning waste materials into heat, fuel, and electricity. While many challenges face biogas efficiency, Bionetix® International has multiple biological-based treatments to make the most of biogas production.

Overcoming Biogas Inhibitors with BCP12™

An extremely limiting factor for biogas production is the fact that plant-based biomass, a common biogas feedstock, can inhibit the hydrolysis and acidogenesis phases of biogas production. Poor performance at these stages also limits final biogas production capacity. BCP12™ is an excellent companion to carry the microbial population through this critical period by adding beneficial bacteria and nutrients to the microbial population already in the biogas production area. These processes are respectively called bioaugmentation and biostimulation. BCP12™ is a bioaugmentation treatment tested at York University to evaluate its performance in the presence of inhibitors from plant-based biomass. During the test, BCP12™ was added to three different bacteria strains: Arthrobacter, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas putida. In each hydrolysate sample, the concentration of bacteria grew (by 30%, 53%, and 58%, respectively) compared to the controls, indicating the effectiveness of BCP12™ even in the presence of certain inhibitors.* BCP12™ is also a great addition to non-plant-based feedstocks, with side benefits of loosening and liquefying heavy grease, reducing unpleasant odors, and controlling FOG and grease cap buildup in anaerobic digesters.

Boosting Biogas Efficiency

Biogas production ultimately depends on the efficiency of the microbial population in the anaerobic digester, which in turn hinges on colony health and proper nutrition. If insufficient nutrients are available, biogas production efficiency will be down because microbes will not have the resources they need to grow, reproduce, and digest waste at a sufficient rate to keep up with biomass volume. Since the need for micronutrients is more often overlooked than the need for macronutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus), Bionetix® International has developed BIOGAS BOOSTER 3™ with three micronutrients selected to boost biogas production, process stability, and efficiency. BIOGAS BOOSTER 3™ was also among the products tested at York University and showed increased biogas production after only one week of treatment, with continuing benefits expected after acclimatization.* BIOGAS BOOSTER 3™ is a great way to stabilize production both under normal circumstances and when there is a large influx of waste in the anaerobic digester.

Biomass-Specific Treatment

While the above products can go a long way toward promoting a healthy microbial population for biogas generation, bioaugmentation with feedstock-specific bacterial blends can also be beneficial. For example, BCP57™ is designed for bioaugmentation of pulp and paper wastewater and can be added to boost biogas efficiency of plant-based feedstock, as well. BCP80™, designed to speed up digestion of animal waste, is a great addition to manure feedstock.

Increasing Biogas Efficiency in the Field

A good example of how biological treatment can boost biogas efficiency comes from two biogas power plants in Japan—one fed by livestock manure, the other with herbage waste. These plants were far below their production efficiency benchmark of 60% methane, 40% carbon dioxide, and less than 1% hydrogen sulfide and other impurities. With methane production at only 40%, the plants ended up generating 100 kW of power per generator instead of their 300 kW/generator capacity. Excess hydrogen sulfide was causing a malodor problem. BCP12™ and STIMULUS™ (another biostimulant) were added to the raw material at each plant, along with BCP80™ at the manure biogas plant and BCP57™ at the herbage plant. As a result, methane production increased to the targeted 60% methane with power production at 300 kW/generator. The odor problem also cleared up.

Don’t Let Waste Go to Waste

Biogas creation opens exciting doors to alternative forms of energy. What if waste that is produced every day could be harnessed to produce heat, fuel, and electricity for the benefit of society? Furthermore, what if natural biogas production inefficiencies could be overcome simply by adding the right microorganisms and nutrients to boost efficiency? A hint of the answer has already been given above. The rest of the answer is up to famers, municipalities, and entrepreneurs who will make use of the tools given them to transform waste into something valuable. Contact Bionetix® to get started on the journey to more efficient biogas production: https://www.bionetix-international.com/contact-us/

*York University NSERC Engage Project Report, “Novel Bacterial Blend to Enhance Biomethanation of Municipal Sewage Sludge,” 11 December 2020. Prepared by Prof. Brar’s Team: Dr. Bikash Tiwari, Rahul Saini, and Mona Chaali.

Keywords: reduce waste, biogas efficiency, what biogas is used for, which bacteria produce biogas, biogas production for electricity, biogas for fuel, reduce reuse recycle, Bionetix, bioaugmentation, alternative forms of energy

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NEWS ALERT: Take a New Approach to Garbage Disposal Maintenance This Year!

Probiotics are a growing segment in the health food industry, touted for their immune and digestive system benefits. But what if these same natural mechanisms could be harnessed for their benefits in cleaning applications such as garbage disposal maintenance?

Bionetix® took this step last year with the release of ECO-DISPOSAL™, a probiotic garbage disposal cleaner/ freshener. When users apply an ECO-DISPOSAL™ pouch to their garbage disposal unit, it provides initial cleaning power and leaves behind a fresh lemon fragrance. However, the benefits do not stop there. ECO-DISPOSAL™ also contains 2.5 billion bacteria that awaken when in contact with water and start digesting organic waste. These probiotics cling to garbage disposal and drain walls for ongoing long-term waste digestion and garbage disposal maintenance benefits in between routine cleaning.

ECO-DISPOSAL™ is great for both commercial and residential garbage disposals, as well as septic tanks. With ECO-DISPOSAL™, the time has come to stop settling for standard garbage disposal maintenance and explore the longer-lasting benefits of waste-digesting probiotics at work. Contact Bionetix® International to learn more about using ECO-DISPOSAL™ in your garbage disposal this year: https://www.bionetix-international.com/contact-us/

Keywords: probiotic garbage disposal cleaner, garbage disposal maintenance, ECO-DISPOSAL, Bionetix, routine cleaning, septic tank maintenance, probiotics for cleaning

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