Environmental odour news

Bad-smelling gas has forced the temporary closure of Hastings' new wastewater treatment plant just six months after it opened. The $27 million plant in Clive, about 10 kilometres from Hastings, was closed after the bacterial treatment process was found to produce greater than expected amounts of hydrogen sulphide - the gas which gives Rotorua its famous "rotten egg" smell. The gas was produced by bacteria and other organisms in two large treatment tanks as they break down urban wastewater. Hawke's Bay Regional Council compliance and pollution manager Bryce Lawrence said teething problems had been expected but the level of hydrogen sulphide produced was greater than anticipated. "It is harmless at the levels being produced here, but it is quite a nuisance to those living nearby," he told The Dominion Post. Engineers were modifying eight fans designed to suck bad odours from the tanks, and sewage would be diverted through the old treatment system in ...

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IT’S the stink that just won’t stop. Pakenham is in an uproar over a stench that sticks – and the townsfolk have had enough. The “Pakenham stink” has reared its ugly head again and resident David Cahir says he won’t stop until the smell does. “I have walked the streets at 2am trying to find where it is coming from,” he said. “I am manic about it.” Mr Cahir said that after two years of dealing with the Cardinia Shire Council he was taking the matter further, straight to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). “Someone has to do something, the smell burns the back of your throat – it can’t be healthy,” he said. Describing the smell as something similar to a dead body, Mr Cahir said he was worried the stench would affect the health of all Pakenham residents. Spokesman for Cardinia Shire Council, Paul Dunlop said councilofficers had received at least 10 complaints in relation to smells in the Pakenham area over the past two weeks and said appropriate action would be t...

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These are the things I do, along with blogging, while I decide what I want to be when I grow up. Many posts in this blog contain original material and previously unreported news. Any media outlet, website or blogger that reports previously unreported news or quotes opinion obtained from this website is ethically obligated to credit me or my blog in their initial report on the subject.

The Packaging Community has undertaken a survey into decision making in packaging across 9 European countries and concluded that there is a big move towards environmentally-friendly and sustainable products. This is partly met in the trend towards lower weight, as discussed at the October 2009  AMI conference  on Thin Wall Packaging held in Cologne, Germany. Jon Nash of AMI described typical applications: yoghurt, cheese, cream, fresh produce, bakery, yellow fats, ready meals, sandwiches, pet foods, frozen foods, etc. Dairy is the largest sector at almost 25% and chilled meals are among the fastest growing areas. PP and PS dominate, followed by PET and PVC with a small percentage of other materials. Research conducted by Faerch Plast shows that there is interest in the food industry in moving from cans and glass into plastics. In 2008 it produced 1.7 billion thermoformed trays. Ready meal packaging is produced from CPET and PP; and fresh meat trays from PP, APET, PS, or AMPE...

Technical and Scientific Equipment is now distributing the Electronic Sensor Technology (EST) 4500 zNose portable gas chromatographer, which the distributor claims is the only mobile, small-footprint analyser on the market that can detect and analyse chemical compounds in near real-time. The EST gas chromatographer is an ultra-high-speed odour detector that employs a trap and helium carrier gas to separate chemicals in near real-time so that pattern recognition and trace detection can be performed in seconds. According to Technical and Scientific Equipment, it is the only gas analyser on the market that can accurately detect organic, biological and chemical compounds in near real-time. Unlike trace detectors which only detect a few select compounds, this odour detector recognises odours and fragrances based upon their full chemical signature, says the distributor. The 4500 is designed with a refillable internal helium cylinder, but can also use disposable helium cylinders. The ...

HUNDREDS of residents have been issued with ' odour diaries ' to record their complaints over a foul stench coming from a landfill site. People say they are sick of having to keeping windows and doors permanently shut to keep out the stink from Peckfield landfill site. The Environment Agency has now taken the unusual step of issueing everyone with a Anotec odour diary to keep a record of activities of offending odours. The tip, which is just over 100m from some homes, has been in use for 15 years. Company bosses and staff from the Environment Agency have agreed to meet with residents at Anotec "Sometimes a foul smell just hangs in the air for hours at a time. It's disgusting. "All we want is it to be able to open our windows or cook a meal in the kitchen without having to put up with such a terrible stink. Surely it should be too much to ask." "It is a real blot on the landscape. It's not just the smell we have to put up with ...

They have been around for a long time preaching and doing what they were doing. Today a spokesman for Anotec  said that for one client they were able to save $6,000 a year  (50% ) . The client was in dire straights for other reasons. The employees were using to much product and the product contained a number of toxic chemicals.  With some skepticism, a quote  was delivered and a batch was ordered. The results were amazing. Now the client is enjoying better performance, the employees enhanced health and costs reduced, who said green chemistry is costly. It pays to work with a Chartered Chemist, save the planet, your health and dollars.

Abstract A system and method for inhibiting and precluding the buildup and offgas of offensive odors and corrosive sulfuric acid in wastewater in a variety of locations in a sewage system through the use of superoxygenation. The system comprises an oxygenator having an inverse conical section for a downward flow of oxygen gas injected into the sewage stream prior to entering the oxygenator. In one embodiment, the system is inserted directly into the main sewage stream, while in another embodiment, the system is used to treat a sidestream from the main sewage stream. Description FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the field of wastewater collection and treatment, and particularly to the prevention of offensive odors and corrosion in sewage systems. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Raw domestic wastewater commonly generates offensive odors, especially at warmer temperatures, in collection systems and primary clarifiers at the wastewater treatment plant, combined sewer...

The owners of Mogden sewage works are being slapped with a legal order to stop unsavoury smells that “blighted” the lives of the site’s neighbours. Hounslow Council agreed to “up the ante” on Thames Water by issuing an odour abatement notice - which would force an obligation on the company to tackle strong stenches smelt by hundreds of neighbouring residents. At a meeting of the council’s executive on Tuesday, Councillor Jonathan Hardy blamed “a whole list of management failures”, including spills, leaks and problems surrounding Mogden’s odour control unit, as reasons for making the order. The decision came less than 24 hours after senior managers from Thames Water promised Vince Cable MP that they were in engaged in urgent engineering works on two separate defects at Mogden, which have caused a bad smell lasting for days. Council leader Peter Thompson, said: “We actually want to work with Thames Water - we have tried in the past and I think it’s time to up the ante a little bi...

The Organics Plant in Bromley has been giving off a spicy vinegary odour following a trial mixing the odour free compost produced from kerbside green bin waste and other material brought in from an external source. Living Earth and Christchurch City Council are working to reduce the odour as quickly as possible. Mark Christison, Christchurch City Council City Water and Waste Unit Manager says: "Living Earth are undertaking a number of measures to resolve the odour issue. The Council and Living Earth are very disappointed with the creation of this odour. The contractor will be doing everything possible to rectify the situation as soon as possible". George Fietje, Living Earth General Manager says, "The Organics Plant was specifically designed using state- of- art oven technology to reduce all odours. This temporary odour is very unusual and we're treating it very seriously". "To reduce the odour we placed material with no odour over the piles of compos...

Former Timaru resident Megan Waghorn is happy to see Caroline Bay has been redeveloped, but she is horrified a sewer manhole is ruining its appeal by creating an intermittent odour. There is a problem hanging around Timaru like a bad smell - and that is just what it is. It appears to be most noticeable in the area just in front of the whale pot at the northern entrance to Caroline Bay. This is not the first time Timaru residents have complained about an odour. A series of articles appeared in The Courier in May last year, in which many Timaru residents spoke of a smell lingering around the business district. The source of the smell was never confirmed. This time the cause is known and there is a clear solution. Timaru District Council district services manager Ashley Harper, of Timaru, said a sewer manhole was causing the intermittent smell. He said the smell had been in the area for about two years, the time it had taken to make the new sewer. "The smell comes and...

Member explains residents'fears regarding a temporary asphalt plant in the Braeside Quarry to McNab-Braeside council. john carter "We hope council will take steps to remove this danger from our midst." A delegation of about 15 people living near the Braeside Quarry shared their anger about emissions from the temporary asphalt plant with McNab-Braeside councillors Nov. 10. In a presentation to the township’s planning advisory committee, Mark Popiel, speaking for the residents group FACT-MB, urged council to take action to curb noise and smells coming from the plant. “Stop the abuse,” he said. “Some of your constituents are suffering. We fear for our personal health and safety. “We hope council will take steps to remove this danger from our midst.” At the end of the meeting, which was also attended by representatives of the quarry owners (Miller Paving), several residents asked what council could do about the plant, which they maintain is adversely affecting thei...

PEOPLE living close to the Tullamarine landfill were last week plagued by a foul smell they believe is emanating from the former dump. The latest complaints came as frustrated residents called a public meeting to keep the community informed about what is happening at Tullamarine Landfill Advisory Committee meetings, which have been closed to the general public. The next committee meeting will be held today. Panel members - including representatives from landfill operators Transpacific Industries (TPI) - will address the issue of LNAPL (light non-aqueous phase liquids) on the site. This substance consists of deadly chemicals, including PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and heavy metals. The committee meeting will be followed by a public meeting on November 24. Terminate Tullamarine Toxic Dump Action Group president Kaylene Wilson said she rushed to investigate the smell on Friday after receiving a call from a resident. "I drove straight up to the dump when the resident rang...

One of the toughest tasks, when you care for a cat, is the Cat Urine Removal clean up job and it is the cat urine odour removal that is perhaps one of the most unpleasant. I have the great fortune of having six children. My older four children have all left home and are all living their own lives in extraordinary ways. They are all wonderful people doing amazing things - but I must tell you these tales another day. We have always had pets - all sorts - we have had a parrot named Charlie, and another green ringed neck parrot named Bolo. Once when we were in living in Florida we even had a tiny little hand reared bird that the kids called "Garuda Peep Peep Tweet Tweet". My older daughter has taken care of several rabbits, a family of ducks, all sorts of mice, rats and of course cats. We have had so many kittens and cats that I cannot remember their names - the kids can though - they remember all of them. Now my oldest daughter has her own family - and a cats - and now...

Theories of Odor and Odor Measurement (Unknown Binding) objective odor measurement has been developed in terms of a possible theory of olfaction. Starting from accepted ideas concerning the structure and composition of the nerve cell membrane and the composition of the mucus, possible mechanisms of olfaction are advanced. Any odor-carrying substance must make physical contact with the interior part of the nose. Whether the mucous membrane is "punctured" by the odoriferous substance, or absorption by the mucus produces a change in the state of polarization of the membrane and induces firing, is still open to experimental verification. The authors review current theories of olfaction and some physical models of the olfactory apparatus.

TROQUEER residents in Dumfries can look forward to the end of more than 20 years of stinking misery as the latest phase of a £10 million project to upgrade a waste water treatment works has been completed. Scottish Water’s investment at the plant will increase the treatment capacity, provide a new sludge treatment system and reduce odours – putting an end to years of misery for locals who had to live with a lingering pong. One resident, Tom Irvine, who campaigned for an upgrade of the ageing plant, said: “There has certainly been a big improvement since the work was carried out. I’ve lived here for more than 50 years and the smell was horrendous at times. “With the amount of money that’s been spent carrying out the work, there’s no reason why we should have to put up with a smell like that again. I really hope it’s gone for good.” The existing odour control system is water-based and can be affected by changes in temperature. The new system will treat odours arising from the new enc...

People who invest in a dehumidifier are often able to hold off the respiratory and other health problems brought on by mold exposure. However, this is just one of many indoor air quality problems that can affect the typical home. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency recently announced its latest "changeout" effort, where residents of a specified area are encouraged to trade in their old, less efficient woodstoves in favor of cleaner new models, or alternatives such as natural gas heating systems. So far, the EPA's efforts have resulted in the replacement of about 13,000 old wood stoves, preventing the release of about 250 tons of fine-particle emissions. Such pollution isn't confined to just rural areas that tend to depend more on woodstoves. Any place with heavy traffic and industrial activity can be prone to particulate matter pollution, which can enter a home through open windows and even attached to clothing. With that in mind, an air purifying...

LOWER PROVIDENCE — Superior Tube has applied for permission to increase the amount of volatile organic compounds it emits from its Germantown Pike plant. However, the substance being emitted remains far less dangerous than the recognized carcinogen the company used previously, according to state regulators. In fact, according to Lynda Rebarchak, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Southeast office in Norristown, the requested increase of nine tons per year is a direct result of the company's decision last year to completely abandon trichloroethylene, or TCE, in its industrial processes. In order to give up on TCE, the company had to spend about $100,000 to change over its equipment and use a different chemical, called n-propyl bromide, or nPB for short, in order to degrease the tubes it manufactures there. Like TCE, nPB is considered a "volatile organic compound," or VOC. But more significantly, nPB is not consider...

A BROOKLYN tallow company has received an EPA Victoria fine for offensive odours. Australian Tallow Producers Pty Ltd were fined $5841 for failing to meet EPA licence conditions that prohibit offensive odours from seeping beyond the boundaries of their Geelong Rd premises, following a pollution incident in July this year. The Environmental Protection Authority had received a number of reports from the community about the odour, which came from a meal dryer that caught fire. The EPA said the company agreed to shut the line down until the dryer was fixed. Environmental services director Bruce Dawson said there were many challenges for community and industry co-existing together. “Companies need to be aware of their social and environmental obligations and if there are problems then they need to actively work towards solutions,” Mr Dawson said. Australian Tallow spokesman Craig Palmer said the company was undertaking significant works to improve odour controls at the site. “...

A Cavan lobby group has welcomed a move by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a review of the licence granted to Oxigen reducing the amount of biodegradable waste that it can accept at the Corranure landfill on the outskirts of Cavan town. Cian Murtagh, the chairman of the Cavan Better Waste Management group told The Anglo-Celt that residents in the vicinity of Corranure had endured "the worst weekend ever" last weekend with the stench from the landfill. He said that both he and members of the committee took countless calls over the weekend and on Monday from "very angry people" living all around the landfill in Drumalee and Ballyhaise. "They were complaining of waking up in the night, children being sick and terrible headaches. It was the worst weekend ever," said Mr. Murtagh. In a statement, the EPA said that Corranure was one of a number of landfills being reviewed by the EPA. As part of the review process, objections can be made to t...