Business Opportunities Weblog

Inventor Wins Prize for Manhole Odor Eliminator

By on March 26, 2013 in Inventions

John Paluccio, an inventor friend of mine, won the San Joaquin Entrepreneur Challenge for his invention, an odor control device for municipal sewers called the Manhole Odor Eliminator. For his work, he’ll take home $17,000 in cash and business services.

Runner-up Alex Cantatoreof Turlock took home a $7,000 share of the prize for his board game, Shard War, that incorporates the best aspects of figurine war games and collectable card games. The two were selected from a field of eight would-be entrepreneurs by a panel of expert judges and audience members in the “American Idol”-style live competition.

Paluccio’s Manhole Odor Eliminator addresses a real problem facing cities, utilities and special districts. San Francisco officials said last year they would spend $14 million for a three-year supply of concentrated bleach to combat that’s city’s sewer odor problems.

Instead of dumping millions of pounds of bleach into the drain pipes, Paluccio could provide units that drop into sewer manholes and capture odorous gases in replaceable activated carbon filters.

“Manhole covers is a sexy business,” joked judge Brad Triebsch, principal of the Central Valley Fund. But more seriously, he said, Paluccio’s company, Inventive Resources, offers a good business model.

A video of Paluccio and the MOE is below.

carbon environmental manhole odor waste

Business Opportunities Weblog editor and publisher Dane Carlson lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, just 15 miles from Yosemite National Park. He accidentally became a professional blogger in 2001. He has added 12,203 posts to the site.

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  • David

    so is that it only 17 thousand $ while they save millions, or do you also get royalties??

  • http://www.business-opportunities.biz Dane Carlson

    I’m pretty sure that he didn’t have to sign over his invention for the prize money.

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