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What the heck is this thing?

  • A new kind of indestructable pasta? Rouletoni?

    Votes: 5 55.6%
  • A special dog whistle that only cats can hear?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A new Iphone universal adapter?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A new mini laundry agitator?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A missing wheel from the last Mars rover?

    Votes: 3 33.3%
  • Any/all of the above?

    Votes: 1 11.1%

I'm on a roll. What is this?

2K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  Classic30 
#1 ·
Has anyone seen these before and what is it?
 

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#3 ·
I really can't wait for the poll results to start showing some meaningful data points. Notice I did not use the word 'datum' as that is singular but I did modify the word 'data' to 'data points' as this has much more charm then just 'data'.

I used 'data points' because there is not likely to be one coherent set of answers and I'd bet that most would agree that the sensible answer is that it is some new form of pastic pasta that can be eaten over and over once extracted from your holding tank and cleaned up a bit and re-used.

We all know that dogs and cats don't always get along so it might be nice to have a whistle you could blow to warn your cat that there is a dog stalking them, right? If you buy this line of thinking then this little gizmo could be the answer to your prayers.

The idea of an Iphone/Droid universal adapter has a certain appeal, no? Only problem with this gizmo is there are no wires so how could it work? Only the mind of Steve Jobs may know the answer to these questions.

To make your clothes clean, soft and well scrubbed these devices could be introduced to your washing machine. After they are introduced they could go out on a date together!

This little wheelie-dealy could be a wheel from one of the previous Mars rovers. After all, how many people really know how big those things were, right?

Somehow I doubt that this little marvel is any or all of the above but I know that Sailnut has a very diversified and (ahem) intelligent following so let's see what the poll shakes up in terms of meaningless data.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Nope, I have no idea.:confused: But since I don't I was forced to go look it up out of curiosity.

A rotating biological contactor consists of a series of closely spaced plastic circular disks. The disks are submerged in wastewater and rotated slowly through it. In operation, biological growths become attached to the surfaces of the disks and eventually form a slime layer over the entire wetted surface are of the disks. The rotation of the disks alternately contacts the biomass with the organic matter in the wastewater and then with the atmosphere for adsorption of oxygen. As with the trickling filters, the biomass uses the oxygen and the organic matter for food thereby reducing the BOD and or the nitrogen content in the wastewater.
 
#6 ·
A little background info may be needed then: Plastic Disks from Westchester Plant Wash onto Glen Cove Beaches - Glen Cove, NY Patch
And: N.H. sewage water disks are washing up in Mass. - The Boston Globe

"I still don't understand why these things exist and what they do." you say?

To put it in terms that even I can understand, they grow the 'good' bacteria on these plastic pieces of pasta that will consume the e. coli and other harmful bacteria and then they combine these little wonders with the effluent.

The real problem is that sewage treatment plants can't seem to keep their fly's zippered so these little darlings ended up all over the coastline, along with whatever waste water they released at the same time.

And you were worried about a few drops of diesel fuel or black water dripping in the water. Silly you!
 
#7 ·
The real problem is that sewage treatment plants can't seem to keep their fly's zippered so these little darlings ended up all over the coastline, along with whatever waste water they released at the same time.

And you were worried about a few drops of diesel fuel or black water dripping in the water. Silly you!
..but, Caleb, everyone knows Government Departments don't pollute the environment - it's only citizens that do that. ;)

Some nasty terrierist must have let them out when no-one was looking!..
 
#10 ·
They have piles of them that the water being treated flows over and down. They provide surface area for aerobic bacteria, which eat the impuritieis. Aerobic bacteria don't cause foul odors but anerobic bacteria do.

That's why you want air to have access to your holding tank, so the aerobic bacteria can live and the tank doesn't go anerobic.

You can see something similar to those disks at aquariums where they are also used in the filter system for the same reason.
 
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