By combining biotechnology and information technology, a group of researchers from the Information Engineering Department at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lat Krabang have developed a bad odour killer system to get rid of the foul smell emanating from garbage heaps, thereby bringing relief to people who have to live nearby.

The technology uses nine types of bacteria, which the research team calls good bacteria, to make the waste disintegrate. The researchers have developed a system in which bacteria are sprayed automatically on the targeted garbage heaps.

According to the leader of the project Pitikhate Sooraksa the technology aims to automate all garbage processing so people will not need to come in direct contact with it.

The team developed a micro controller attached to a tank to control the release of bacteria into water in predetermined proportions. After the combination process, the bacteria-based water is sprayed on the rubbish automatically.

"We can control the quantity of bacteria that is released into the water and its spraying time through the automated system. When the garbage is ready for processing, the system runs automatically and releases the bacteria," he said.

The team also adopted the chaos theory to control the spray pattern of the nozzle. The chaos theory is a method that makes use of the apparent lack of order in a system that nevertheless obeys certain laws, and this brings so-called dynamical instability.

Pitikhate said that the adoption of the chaos theory allowed the team to develop unconventional spraying directions. Instead of the bacteria being sprayed in the same direction at all times, the nozzle sprays the water in different directions, so the spray eventually covers all areas.

Though developed two years ago, the system is currently in use as a pilot test at the engineering faculty's garbage storage facility.

The team now uses one teaspoon of bacteria in a tank of water to dissolve wet garbage and kill bad odours. Pitikhate said the dissolving process starts within 10 seconds of spraying.

The method also produces bio-fertilisers as by-products. The project leader said the water left over from the dissolving process could be used on crops.

To keep the storage area free from dirt, he plans to add a new self-managing system to automatically clean the storage area. When the process is over, the system automatically sprays fresh water to clean the area.

Meanwhile, an ultrasonic system will be attached to prevent animals such as cats or dogs from digging up the rubbish. Pitikhate said the system would release special sound waves that annoy these animals and keep them away from the area.

To make the system smarter, the team will also link the automated system with mobile phones, and allow the officials to monitor the system status from anywhere. In case the system develops problems, or if bacteria - the key raw material - are depleted, the monitoring system will also automatically send an SMS to inform the officials about the situation.

Funded by the Thailand Research Fund, the National Research Council of Thailand as well as KMITL's engineering faculty, the project will hopefully tackle the problem of bad odour from garbage, and in the long run save the environment. Pitikhate said the team planned to work with provincial and district administrative offices and use this technology to improve their garbage management.

 The technology can also be of use for water treatment.

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation