Civil Servants Tackled Sewer Odor... Ulsan City Research Group Files Patent for Sewer Vent Odor Reduction Filter

Job Invention During Odor Elimination Project Achieves 95% Reduction in Maintenance Costs

Excellent Odor Reduction Performance, Sewage Vent Pipe Installation Across Ulsan Planned by Next Year

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Ulsan City is developing a method to reduce sewage odor and is in the process of applying for a patent.

On the 16th, Ulsan City announced that it has completed a patent application with the Korean Intellectual Property Office for a filter developed to reduce sewage odor generated from vent pipes installed to maintain smooth sewage flow during sewage pipeline installation.

Until now, Ulsan City has managed complaints caused by odor from sewage pipeline vent pipes by installing pole-type odor reduction devices and replacing activated carbon-based filters about twice a year.

However, the pole-type odor reduction devices cost between 30 to 40 million KRW per installation site, and replacing the activated carbon filters costs about 8 million KRW each time, resulting in excessive expenses and difficulties in managing sewage vent pipe odor.

Employees of the Sewage Management Division formed a government employee research group this year called the “Zero Sewage Odor, Clear Ulsan Creation” team and began working on countermeasures.

This team conducted research on the causes of odor in Ulsan and customized odor reduction measures, developing a method using easily available materials that can reduce maintenance costs by 95% compared to existing filter replacements.

When they conducted pilot installations on vent pipes in front of Hillstate in Yangjeong-dong, Buk-gu, and near Solbat Samgeori in Dong-gu, the results showed that the effectiveness and duration were not inferior at all compared to existing activated carbon-based filters.

In particular, since it can be extended to existing devices, it eliminates the need to install pole-type odor reduction devices costing tens of millions of KRW, providing an innovative budget reduction and enabling a pleasant urban environment for citizens.

Recognizing the research achievements of the “Zero Sewage Odor, Clear Ulsan Creation” team, Ulsan City selected it as the best research group of the year and applied for a patent for the developed sewage vent pipe odor reduction filter.

An official from Ulsan City stated, “Currently, this filter is being pilot-installed on all sewage pipeline vent pipes in the Dong-gu area,” adding, “We will expand the installation to all sewage pipeline vent pipes throughout the city by next year to improve citizens’ health and quality of life.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.