Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

cdc.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 99 posts

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#51

Post by londons_explore »

leetrout wrote: post #40
kijin wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

At least for sodium hypochlorite in solution it loses its disinfection properties quickly as I understand it. I wonder if it would have to stay in the packets or smaller containers to maintain its efficacy?

Anything sealed will work. A glass jam jar is 8 cents and can hold 1 kg.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#52

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

Turing_Machine wrote: post #14
avmich wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> powdered ferric sulfate (a flocculant) and calcium hypochlorite Are you saying those two components are too expensive on Amazon?..

You could certainly brew your own. I was referring to the fact that Amazon sellers are charging 50 cents to two dollars (!) for a packet that is sold by the manufacturer for 3.5 cents.

Puts it in line with all the other overpriced outdoors gear.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#53

Post by op00to »

refurb wrote: post #19
ekianjo wrote: 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.

The difference isn’t that it’s using fancy technology, it’s that the product is standardized and fully proven via real world clinical trials.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#54

Post by stevespang »

The powdered ferric sulfate in the formula is a health risk for all men and non menstruating women as the soluble iron is not removed during the process. This level of iron will produce toxicity in part through free radical promotion.This is equivalent to poisoning people.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#55

Post by leetrout »

londons_explore wrote: post #51
leetrout wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least for sodium hypochlorite in solution it loses its disinfection properties quickly as I understand it. I wonder if it would have to stay in the packets or smaller containers to maintain its efficacy?

Anything sealed will work. A glass jam jar is 8 cents and can hold 1 kg.

Sunlight destroys chlorine — is it only when it’s in water or would it affect the powder too?

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#56

Post by FredPret »

avidphantasm wrote: post #44

This is great, but what happens to the sachets? Are the biodegradable? When I was in India a few years ago I was struck by all the newly introduced non biodegradable packing strewn about EVERYWHERE. The old unfired clay cups used by road-side tea vendors were great, but they were rapidly being replaced by little white plastic cups. Plastic is a scourge on the land and water resources.

I wonder how long it'll take for a plastic-eating microorganism to evolve.

Apparently trees evolved hundreds of millions of years before the bacteria that can make wood rot arrived, so you probably had piles of dead trees everywhere for such a long time.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#57

Post by anamexis »

avidphantasm wrote: post #44

This is great, but what happens to the sachets? Are the biodegradable? When I was in India a few years ago I was struck by all the newly introduced non biodegradable packing strewn about EVERYWHERE. The old unfired clay cups used by road-side tea vendors were great, but they were rapidly being replaced by little white plastic cups. Plastic is a scourge on the land and water resources.

I would argue that this is a situation where the (presumed) greater expense of a biodegradable sachet would not be worth it. When it comes to providing safe drinking water, I would want the cost to be as low as possible.

Re: Flocculant/Disinfectant Powder

#59

Post by PicassoCTs »

FredPret wrote: post #56
avidphantasm wrote: post #44

This is great, but what happens to the sachets? Are the biodegradable? When I was in India a few years ago I was struck by all the newly introduced non biodegradable packing strewn about EVERYWHERE. The old unfired clay cups used by road-side tea vendors were great, but they were rapidly being replaced by little white plastic cups. Plastic is a scourge on the land and water resources.

I wonder how long it'll take for a plastic-eating microorganism to evolve. Apparently trees evolved hundreds of millions of years before the bacteria that can make wood rot arrived, so you probably had piles of dead trees everywhere for such a long time.

The bacteria was a fungi, and yes trees piled up for a long time. We use them today - as coal deposits.
Post reply on HN