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Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

cdc.gov

21–30 of 99 posts

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#21
post #19
post #16

As hinted by the article this is not news. PG has been doing that for almost 2 decades by now.

An the technology is really old school. Flocculant has been used forever to remove fine particles and bleach to disinfect.

I have recently acquired a small swimming pool, and my wife has taught me the expression to “flocc and shock” for removing debris. This appears to be the etymology

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you’re in the US or Canada, you probably want something else for water purification in your emergency kit (iodine or a good filter or the equipment to boil water)— bleach (including the calcium hypochlorite in this stuff) won’t adequately kill Giardia cysts or Cryptosporidium.

Chlorine will kill giardia. You just have to wait somewhat longer. Giardia is definitely present in Pakistan, where this is being manufactured.

Unfortunately it seem to not to work in Chinese giardias.

Giardiosis happen rather routinely even in places like Shanghai. Personal experience.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#25
post #6
post #2

Saw this stuff on Mark Robers channel. Pretty amazing stuff. Been thinking of finding some for an emergency kit.

How is it better than existing water purification tabs or a filter like lifestraw?

Water purification tablets are either chlorine (most common) or iodine based. So essentially this is the equivalent of a chlorine based tablet plus some flocculent to cause sediment to settle out of the water.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#26
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chlorine will kill giardia. You just have to wait somewhat longer. Giardia is definitely present in Pakistan, where this is being manufactured.

Unfortunately it seem to not to work in Chinese giardias. Giardiosis happen rather routinely even in places like Shanghai. Personal experience.

The quality of tap water in Shanghai is pretty bad even by Chinese standards - there is a reason why boiling water is the norm.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#27
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 'zon has it, but at an outrageous markup over the 3.5 cents per packet mentioned in the article.

3.5 cents to PRODUCE. Not to ship halfway around the world, warehouse, pick, package and ship.

Each sachet of P&G™ is provided to global emergency relief organizations or non-governmental organizations at a cost of 3.5 US cents, not including shipping from Pakistan by ocean container. Transport, distribution, education, and community motivation can add significantly to program costs. Sachets are generally sold at product cost recovery for 10 US cents each, for a cost of 1 US cent per liter treated.

10 cents for 10 liters, or a penny a liter. still a lot more than 3.5 cents, but not crazy.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#28
3.5 cents per sachet seems very expensive in bulk. A sachet probably only contains a gram or so, meaning these ingredients are being sold at $35/kilo.

$3/kilo sounds far more reasonable, and it should be sold in 1kg containers and users instructed to use a teaspoon per large bucket.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#29

3.5 cents per sachet seems very expensive in bulk. A sachet probably only contains a gram or so, meaning these ingredients are being sold at $35/kilo. $3/kilo sounds far more reasonable, and it should be sold in 1kg containers and users instructed to use a teaspoon per large bucket.

There seem to be two main use cases for this stuff.

One is everyday disinfection of drinking water. For that purpose a large container might be more economical, provided that it can be kept reasonably watertight through three years of daily use. (1 gram per day per family means a 1kg container will last 2-3 years.)

The other is emergency use in disaster zones for a limited amount of time. For this purpose a bunch of sealed sachets is much easier to transport and distribute despite the high unit cost.

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