DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 13, 18 January 1900, Page 2

DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE.

THE BACTERIOLOGICAL PROCESS. I ri By the courtesy of Dr. Home, we are j enabled to publish the following in- p structive article on the latent and most c promising li&ethod of dealing with toytn c j sewage. The .article appeared ill the c Lancet of October 14th just,' j 1

THE LABORATORY, * Amongst the by-products of coal gas 8 manufacture, as everyone knows, is { soke, and though, comparatively speak- < ing, of no intrinsic value, yet this 1 apparently 1 "dead residual substance 1 promises to open up a solution of the ' ppb|em; of- disposal of metropolitan ; sewage.' It cannot be supposed that it chemical composition of coke i which makes it an aid to the rational . effete matters, but rather its physical peculiarity known as porosity. Though an inert' substance it is comprised of myriads of cells, - each acting like a chemical laboratory in which the operation of breaking up complex organic materials into simpler bodies .which appear in the final product as i^or^anjc: substanevs-r ia /CqiMUiptbcf by bacteria In a word, success is ensured in the jiveatmeftt of fewage by natural iaeahi with 4 £iew to fts'ecbfaomib and hygienic dissolution by providing the bacterium,.with a- laboratory 'iff which to work-an-d by.placing at its disposal an unstinted supply of reagents. The laboratory may be theeell ot' a porous substance like coke, and the reagents consist of a plentiful supply of oxygen from, the air. TlwaefflMditions Sfyyiajjed, "tfie'BacterTarprocass tEen presents the advantages 'obat it requires no chemicals, produces no offensive sludge, removes practically the whole of the 'iflatter,* eflects the" removal of over 50 per cent, of putrescioje matter as compared with 17 per cent, by chemical treatment, while the re-stating-liquid or (affluent is entirely free from objectionable) smoll and d-ei not become' foul when it is kept-, and, furmaintains the life of fish. Six years ago we predicted that' chemical treatment would soon be ab-indonod in favour of-bacteriological processes,, arid | 'tlii teaching of tto present day stamps chtmical treatment as wasteful, 3i-irav.-'gint-, and unsatisfactory,' 'Now wo maj say that r,Le great problem of the SHtisfact.uy dispjaal of sewage has vii tusflly"fpassed-frqtn the domain of ohemistry to' that of 1 bacteriology.

EiCTEKUL TREATMENT, ' The results obtained in a series of experiment?, extending for about ten months, by the chemist and bacteriologist rtspvctively of the London County ,pouwil pp fir at, jmy, rate to justify "'this'view, ' The experiments of these gentlemen related to the pronoun of. in-fejaVs-Uji-'tseitmens in coke bed?, and the results have just recently been presented to the Main Drainage Committee of the Council by Dr, Clowes and Dr. Houston, It ia a very valuable document, and shows that tv«n tbo iramecsa quantity of sewage daily d:-8-jhargfd at the outfalls of t.is metropolis at iiatking and Crossness could be satisfactorily dealt with by a system of intermittent bacterial treatment in coke beds. The system Is shown to be rem irkably economic and capable of producing results which probably satisfy sanitary requirements, Thus, Dr. Clowes reporis that neither on chemical nor possibly on baeterio logical grounds can any serious objection be raised to the introduction of Ui« cfiiusnt from the coke bed 3 into that portion of tho river Thames which is Cat off by locks from the intakes of the water companie?, and the water from which is not employed for drinking purpose?, and cannot be used for drinking on account of its " brackish" nature. Again, he says, the effluent certainly will not cause any deposit upon the river bed, and will cv-jn tend to render turfcid water of the Ipwer. river r more . clear and transparent, At iihs same time', the liquid discharge from the outfall into the river will be sweet and entirely free from smell. Further, it will carry into the river the bacteria necessary for completing its own purification iu con tact with the aerated river water, and under no conditions caa it, therefore, -bteome foul after it. has mingled withIhe stream, Finally, the effluent would in no way interfere with fi h lifo in tho stream, Winfc an estraordiijiry contrast this .a fiords to what- can bo stigmatised only as the clumsy process Sit; pi'esoiit in vogue at tho outfalls, in iviiich chemical precipitants aro ussd to separate th-j solid from tho liquid •oitt-i ', Ti.ns, by the process oi mi.rd pr%cipitauou, an tfflieut is wliii iru deadly to fish, while \-\m siujga c i.tiiniJ-g all tho nitrogenl :vi- :u-d pi.-'sphat-io constituents is jerrriod vO»oa |»y bp..eial riadgesteamers ['■';: id then dieclurged, Ho«* iucongru■Hi3 this prreMd'ng -stems now that it is established that by an appaieatly simpb contrivance such aa tbis ooke oed-co'ivMaas pacifying agencies ran be e iHiiy u'llisod and the enormous ox-i'-'s>s9 ef ch*mic*.U entirely saved,

7?ES3 PaOCES3 SIMPLE AHD CQSVKNIBST. It cuitiot bo preloaded that- the pco *' 's if. p' i tVct, but fti ]eas', it appr..ui:t.is Afactory is-ue in.zagiud'to V'iw-jge purification, on such an im!pstesa'BC«!c as that of the metropolis, ih-jt kn<j :i* h tto boon ro&lieed. JSvpd . i 4 ths imaxnnsivy of dm ' 1TSI& on which Sim di=t>ml of Loudon nuwss is-iiy be dune would t,o b'< no uiftjcalty in tha way, •-fiVf--tbt.se ©sporimoats indicate that th.> ■-,'hbiu u't fbadon sewage couM bo d ii.it ia' a Qoc?enHri< and wkaWf ■ SKkSr ■ Aiovoovti', the pwcy-s is pimp'*mtho ■ -nv\ Tfco pxpevhocnts on UU••*•"8:. U'-'ttttßent WOl'O CAlrit'd "'=? by ii-:m; tfsaeoko beds with HSw#ge • '• '• '•.j liiiS •■ I■; ■ i'i J • • : ■ ■■' ■' ■' 1 ■ '-i-- :■ r Sjv; ii-i li-.j;is n, ; : iiqiiiii st'A'-:;) '' ■i* '' 'j ■ : - ' .:i'ko v.-'i!.-; ;j ■ ' ,'i I ull'.. 0:r ■ ■ " : v:: r■ ,- . : ' ! • •'•■ -i ■••.. ;■r, : ',!<■ ! ■ ■!"' -r :lv II;; >.. ;i ("at 5 •" J 01-i rr-f;■ i!.;i% s:-d in ih ■■■'■ >i» o.t s ivciu'vd K-'i'hii' tft. .jr; :1 ,-u: ; n ' •" (■(:!■ ;. bl'-oru. , | :•/?'- 'i h:> process, of dsurso, is ono do on jal'-y on awai-ior, and "| : • i"' "Ot X * aa ;ii . A•! •'> p!' fiSoioi oy, jt! IK 1 « ••(),•. RV. 1 .:- U :i- "••{:. J.'lo >!>>t e' I:-3S''••t fh ;r;c ilCß'J'':- M 11 i-V ink thi; riva*:

be completely free from suspended im- i purity, and would possess a. purity as regards dissolve! putrescible matter of 51.3 as compared with 16.9 in the present effluent, representing an improvement of 67.1 per cent. If discharged after double treatment in. the coke trad, the percentage improvement of the chemical effluent would be 75,6. Surely these figures must be the deathknell of chemical treatment, certainly as applied to London sewage, if not elsewhere. Further, as Dr. Olcwes observes, the bacterial action continuing in the river woul,d rapidly bring the purity of such a liquid into a condition equalling that of the river itself. ; UTILISATION OF NATUBAL AGENCIES.

We doubt whether a more promising solution than is suggested in the conclusions of this report of the great and vexatious problem of the rational disposal of the sewage of London has yet been forthcoming. The experiments, indeed, would seem to show that at least a convenient material and means have been found wheroby the. great natural agencies in the shape of bacteria—which in their turn must have an unlimited supply of oxygen from the air in order to,carry on their beneficent wdrk-i—can b9 utilised. It is probable, therefore, that shortly we shall be face to face with a new scheme which, in the light of these experimental results, the London Oounty (Jounoil may teel bound to embark upon, since the installation should not be costly while the prooess is efficient, and it would replace ( a method which w« hava maintained for a long time was neither scientific nor economical, but sufficing merely to carry away an offensive human product out of view.

In the course of an interview with a representative of the Daily News, Dr. Knight, one of Auckland's leading medicos, who is on a visit to this town, gave his impressions (which he said were not those framed after a minute examination of the town, but simply passing glances) on the present drainage i system in New Plymouth. The towD, the said, appeared to be very clean and healthy, and compared favourably with other towns in the colony of the same size and population. There was always a certain amount of danger in connection with surface drainage, as. in paved drains there was a likelihood of sediment accumulating in the crevices, which must be inimical to the town's health. The first two things to be considered in a town wert (I) water supply, and (2) thorough drainage.