Nassef, president of Nassef Engineering and Equipment Company, has developed a new way to dispose of RV waste that uses green technology to eliminate sewage from RVs.
The ThermalTreat Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Sewage Elimination System uses a small gallons or less sized tanks, grinds up the solids, and then dissolves the solids in the liquid. It then pressurizes this liquid and injects it into the hot exhaust gas of the engine. Steam and negligible minerals which come from the food people eat leave with the hot exhaust gas. The system is small, lightweight and uses no chemicals. It produces no odors, liquid, or solids to handle.
"We believe that there is a growing desire for environmentally friendly energy recovery methods to handle sewage," said Nassef. "It is our belief that when this technology is offered and demonstrated, the demand for it will be overwhelming since it is more efficient, cost effective and green. The current markets are huge -- valued at several hundred million dollars per year -- and the international market is immeasurable."
The ZLD processing unit without the EQ tank is approximately 12-by-18-by-24 inches -- the size of a medium suitcase -- and weighs less than 100 pounds. But, it can process approximately 300 gallons per day depending upon available heat simply using engine exhaust to treat and dispose of sewage with no liquid discharge.
Nassef predicts it will eliminate large holding tanks in RVs, thus giving designers more storage space for other needs, such as clean water or cargo. It also eliminates the problem of dumping sewage holding tanks when there are no convenient places to dump, he noted.
Advantages of the system include:
- No odors
- No liquid discharge
- Energy recovery
- Environmentally friendly
- Small/lightweight
- Operable worldwide
- Operable in all climates and harsh environments
- Quick start/stop or storage/use cycles
- Plug-and-play design for replacement or repair
- Potential water reuse
- No chemicals required
- No sludge to dispose
SOURCE: Nassef Engineering Equipment and RV Daily Report.
Hey, cool!
ReplyDeleteHave you done a piece on composting toilets in an RV? We'd be glad to "consult" on such an article; we've been using one for more than two years in our RV, full-time. It works!
It appears that the engine must be running to eliminate the waste. If so, how many hours or minutes of engine time per day to keep up with the sewage?
ReplyDeleteGerry- good question. If the slurry is injected into the exhaust gasses, only a small amount of fluid could go in at any one time so as to not cool the gasses excessively.
ReplyDeleteSo instead of a simple sanitary dump, you are being encouraged to burn precious diesel - to be "environmentally friendly"??
And the phrase "potential water reuse" yuck, count me out. I'll reuse my black water once its recycled through Mother Nature, thank you.
Well, it's not new. My first RV - a used 1972 class B - had the same system for a recirculating toilet. I think it was called a Therm-O-San. Incinerating toilets aren't a new idea either, just never were economical except in unusual locations. And, as someone pointed out above, you have to be running the engine for it to work. The generator may not be run enough or produce enough exhaust for a boondocker. So, it is a niche product for those with huge generators or who travel every day. Other than that, it's a great idea.
ReplyDeleteMr. Forbes caught it - The Therm-a-San (if I recall correctly) later became a product under Dometic's umbrella - it may have started there, in fact. There were problems with the system, mainly in the . catalyzation process: the holding tank contents pumped via a macerator to the exhaust system - just like what's been described here, and the injection point frequently clogged.
ReplyDeleteMany users/owners had few problems, however, and if you traveled often enough to take advantage of the system, it was a good product.
Thetford had a heat disposal system like this in the 70s, might have been Thermosan. I am not sure how it liquefied the waste but it did, then discharged on top of the exhaust system in such a way that it was vaporized. I am not sure what killed it, maybe catalytic converters.
ReplyDeleteI'll let someone else try this before I invest in it. From my experience in the military when human waste comes in contact with heat the stench is horrible ! Again one has to have the engine running and the exhaust temperature has to be high enough to incinerate the waste.
ReplyDelete