Odour Control and Extermination in Sewage and Wastewater Pits

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In our work to offer solutions to some rural and urban settlements using pits and suck-aways to collect and evacuate the sewage/wastewater and associated sludge, we have used and recommended "Chlorine-containing solutions" to control/exterminate odour which is instant in action, very efficient and cheaper within our known reachable solutions.

In this type of set-ups (using pits and suck-aways), are there other solutions that are better in odour control/extermination?

Thanks

Justin

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19 Answers

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  4. HI Justin, yes there are. Please visit our website www.solecoafrica.co.za for information on our 100% organic product called Solutek. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need to meet to discuss further

  5. Hello Justin,

    the last 25 years I have been involved with odor control methods including the situation you describe. The only thing I am not sure about is whether the odor problem is during the "suck out" procedure or if it is the general odors in the area of the pit.

    If it is only odors during pump out I would recommend our essential oil product Hydrosol #5 or BC500/23. This can be applied out of a small pump spray bottle or a set up can me made to siphon the product into the exhaust vent on the pumper truck.

    If the problem is general from the pit itself, this suggest to me that the addition of SSTP3000 bacterial solution along with an EcoSock G would eliminate the odor issues. All the bacterial products we have are facultative bacteria, meaning they will happily work in either an aerobic or anaerobic environment. This is very important when dealing with septic waste as when the tank or pit is pumped out all the incoming water is aerobic and is toxic to anaerobic bacteria. Eventually the tank will revert to an anaerobic state, but meantime hydrogen sulphide and other undisireable microbes will have become dominant. You then have to outcompete them with the correct species. Please do not use chlorine as this is a bad practice for many reasons. If you would like further information you can email me at warwick@alphaenviro.co.nz . Hope this helps. Regards, Warwick

  6. Engr. Justin:  As previously mentioned by others the way of the future is biology. We have been supplying a biological, 100% fully organic solution to small and large waste water treatment facilities for man years in more than 10 countries.  Our SOLUTEK organic product is extremly easy to use, totalyl safe and non-hazardous. SOLUTEK will remove all malodour within days of the first application and after some months of use there will be no need to remove sludge as the SOLUTEK will promote bacteria tat will eat this sludge away and prevent build up of new sludge.   

    We are happy to work with you and assist in any way.

    My direct email address is: pettman@soleco-technology.com                                                             Our web site is: www.biophysics-research.net      

    Please see attached.

     

    Stay safe,

    Hugh.                                                                                                                                     

  8. Dear justin,

    "Chlorine-containing solutions" lead to the formation of persistent chlorine-organic compounds with carcinogenic and other harmful properties.
    It is possible to use environmentally friendly and simple solutions:
    1. To  exterminate ​odour and reduce sludge can be used  biological  preparations with effective microorganisms.
    2.  To  exterminate ​odour can be used cheap and not hazardous (bio)chemical preparations.

  10. Justin, chlorine has the smell of chlorine gas.  besides the issue of chloromercaptans, it does not really work well and over time, it is expensive.  like what Guy says, microbes work better.  and its best if you can use a in situ bioreactor for greater efficiency and also lower cost.  

  11. We have developed technology to digest the septic tank content and convert it into bio-gas ..

  12. Justin; you have some excellent choices provided here. I do agree that in order to get what you need a precise question that reflects you current situation. Many ways to treat the symptoms. The experienced members here have shared time tried and true methods. New systems do need investigation. One item that is now becoming main stream is microbial intervention. It seems nature already has the answer. We were not asking the right questions. All compounds form, exist, and are broken down to their elemental state to allow the building blocks of life to renew.  Natures Rule#1 "for ANY bio waste degradation to occur you MUST have a 2/3 ratio of RNA microbial groups and 1/3 ratio of DNA microbial groups. The DNA should be half bacteria and half fungi. The RNA is the Archaea microbial group.  Note: DNA does not have the genetic code to reduce the waste to its elemental/nutritional state. The is strictly the function of the Archaea. Many advantages. It is microaerophilic = aerobic down to 1ppm O2. Temp extremes of 35 F to 427 F, ph range is 5.5 to 10.0, growth rate once every 20 minutes. Non pathogenic, non mutational, and safe for all life forms. Currently Industrial costs for use is one cent per 40 gallons of bio-waste.  Best part is the water can be recycled back into the potable water supply. 40 years of independent lab tests concur Zero pathogens!. At the least the down stream will have nothing to fear. Especially those who bath in spiritual waters.  Not my technology. I gather all the latest technologies and investigate them then advise those needing assistance. Any one wishing to read up. His name was Dr Carl H. Oppenheimer Jr. Nephew of J. Robert Oppenheimer and long time associate of Albert Einstein. Research data can be found at The University of Texas at Austin.

  13. Hello Justin

     We have a biological solution that may be of interest to you. It is known to reduce odours and works with the soft organic matter in waste water. There is a history of 64 years proven successes working in lagoons systems, pit latrines, and municipal wast water treatment. We have also completed projects in both rural and urban environments. We have just created a new updated and refreshed website to reflect the most current information available  to you http://www.actizyme.com

    Acti-Zyme Front Page Website.jpg

    1 Comment

    1. Donna;  Thank you for the link. New website is well organized. I am a great supporter of Bio anything as long as it works within stated parameters. Identification of living microbes helps to verify any and all claims. When science has been left out marketing remains the only source of info. Q#1 are your microbes (no names please), RNA or DNA based.  Q#2 one Q&A stated this "Bacteria" was a non pathogenic. (In science all DNA are potential pathogens, Only RNA microbial groups are non pathogenic).  I appreciate your careful wording of "reduces", odors' etc.  

  14. Hi Mr Justin.  Not sure if you are just wanting to control odour during the infrequent emptying operations of pits or septic tanks (lets assume this is carried out in about 1 hour per emptying operation), or whether the pits or septic tanks have ongoing odour problems.  Gary and Robert have given good comments below.  However I also wonder what the real issue is - we would normally expect some odours during emptying, but this is for a very short period for the household (e.g. 1 hour every 3 to 5 years) and can normally be tolerated.  If the workers are complaining, this is a different issue, and they should be provided with disposable face masks.  However if this is not acceptable, Gary's option of a lime-based product should be considered. In the case of ongoing odour problems from pits or septic tanks, I would concur with Robert that biological agents are more appropriate. In any event, try by all means to move away from chlorine compounds.

  16. Hi Justin, 

    Although chlorine or other disinfecting chemicals work very good the negative is it can cause problems downstream for example in the biological STP. The idea why you want to kill all biological life in sewage whilst later on you are depending on it again to degrade the same organics is still a mistery to me. 

    We use biological agents like bacteria and bioactivators to already start the digestive work in the pits and this also reduces odors but in the same time it reduces the BOD which helps the downstream treatment of the organics.

    Are these products cheaper? Not if you compare equal amounts of it in weight or volume but as the working action is different it saves money later on.

    Let me know if you want to receive more information.

     

    Best regards,

    Robert Wagenveld

  17. Hi Justin, I was personally involved in the evaluation of a dry powder alkaline based product for the same application in a large rural area just north of Johannesburg, for VIP latrines that were smelly and attracting flies. Our full scale trial was successful, the success being based on early and thorough engagement with the local community, the community leaders and other community structures to ensure correct application of the material. 

    I have seen many concoctions being applied, quite expensive, dangerous in their volatile composition and in some applications mobilising waterborne disease threat by increasing the risk of groundwater contamination through the pit latrine/waterless toilet/dry composting interface, as these are not always watertight structures.

    You are more than welcome to contact me directly for more information, on gary@dikubu.co.za

    Regards

  18. Justin, if you are ready to leave the path of chlorine, i have the perfect solution for you. EcoClearProx is a certified disinfection methode, which also will eliminated all problems in your water. Contact me if you want to leave the chlorine lobby a use a 100% biodegradable, not 99.9%, 100% perfect and easy to use alternative. furthermore it is not more expensive and logisticly, you only use 8% of the amount of chlorine....