A visitor takes photographs of Cunard's cruise liner Queen Mary 2 as the ship sits berthed in Cape Town harbour in this picture taken January 27, 2014.
A visitor takes photographs of Cunard's cruise liner Queen Mary 2 as the ship sits berthed in Cape Town harbour in this picture taken January 27, 2014. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

Products based on bioremediation, a process involving the use of microorganisms to sanitise contaminated soil and groundwater, could effectively eliminate foul smell in holding tanks in recreational vehicles and boats. Through the process, microbes convert contaminants into small amounts of water and harmless gasses like carbon dioxide and ethene, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bioremediation is a form of "bioaugmentation" in which microbes are added to soil and groundwater where there are not enough microbes. It entails encouraging the growth of organisms though through the right conditions: temperature, food source and even energy. Primary contaminants treated with bioremediation are oil and petroleum products, pesticides and similar chemicals.

While there's no dearth of bioremediation products in the market, there are a lack of awareness towards their use. This is quite stunning considering that pipeline wastewater backing is one of the leading threats to marine life and the environment in general.

According to an article published on The Wall Street Journal in 2001, the United States' sewage system is in dire need of an overhaul. In fact, three-quarters of the country's sewage lines were close to giving up, resulting to 40,000 illegal spews of organic waste into rivers and bays annually.

One product in the market that aims to mitigate problems in mobile homes and boats is Ecosciences, Inc.'s TANK-EZE. TANK-EZE comes in sustained-release tablet formulations that "provide active oxygen, nutrients, buffers and safe aerobic microorganisms to help clean, control odour and keep wastewater systems running efficiently with reduced downtime." The tablet can also be used in pump and lift stations, septic tanks and other wastewater treatment facilities.

The company is running a marketing campaign that counts e-commerce among its strategies to market its TANK-EZE product directly to RV and boat owners. It operates its own e-commerce website, and stores on ebay.com, and amazon.com.

"We plan on ramping up our marketing schedule over the upcoming months. We fully expect to achieve a quality stream of sales and subsequent revenue growth from our TANK-EZE line of products, over the long term," the company said in a statement. The company also noted that the company has tried to market the product in a preliminary test with success, which it deems as a positive sign to pursue its campaign.

"The Company conducted the test marketing through an online campaign. Although the test involved a small sample size, the results were encouraging enough for us to proceed with the planning for a wider marketing strategy. We look forward to getting the TANK-EZE and SEPT-EZE products out there to benefit consumers while generating revenue for the Company," said the company in a separate news release distributed by Market Wired.

Aside from this initiative, the company is also aggressively promoting its other products, such as grease-killer Trap-Eze, car odour and spotting-preventer Wash-Eze, and Sept-Eze, a fast-acting tablet safe for all kinds of plumbing and septic tanks.

Ecosciences (OTCQB:ECEZ) trades over-the-counter. The company's stocks closed at $0.45 on Friday, up 2 percent from its previous close.

To contact the writer, email: vittoriohernandez@yahoo.com