Frequently Asked Questions

The system is designed to treat dilute agrochemical waste amongst other contaminants.

The Sentinel process cleans the water so that the contamination is reduced by over 99.9% to levels where the wastewater can be safely returned to the environment or reused.

Yes. The Sentinel treatment system has been used for treating wide mixture’s of agrochemicals in wastewater throughout the World reducing the agrochemical concentration to below the legal disposal requirements.

The Sentinel plant is in operation in over 42 countries Worldwide and has been independently tested by over 15 Universities and Governmental authorities. In two Independent tests carried out in the last 12 months the Sentinel plant and process gave outstanding results with over 99.99% reduction of contamination in both cases.

Yes. All Sentinels can treat mixed waste streams or batch products.

Yes. The Sentinel plant is operating in over 100 agrochemical manufacturing, blending, packaging and testing facilities and plants worldwide. The Sentinel plant is operated by many of the worlds major manufacturers as well as many local mixing and blending companies.

Yes, you can download our Treatment Performance Data Sheets which offer an indication of treatment quality that may be achieved by the Sentinel process.

If you are creating pesticide waste from washing your sprayer out and the sprayer vehicle, you need to dispose of the agrochemical waste in an Environment Agency compliant and environmentally acceptable way.
It is illegal to allow agrochemicals to contaminate and pollute any land and watercourses. There are many rules and regulations regarding the correct usage and handling of agrochemicals and many growers have to adhere to legislation determining how much product can be sprayed onto the crop.

Even with the best efforts of calculating loads, there is sometimes product left in sprayer tanks that need disposing of. When switching products there is rinsate waste from washing out the sprayer tanks and it’s not always appropriate to travel back out into a field to ‘spray off’. Even with the best spray drift reduction nozzles, every vehicle that is used for spraying will be contaminated on all external surfaces, so any washing of sprayer vehicles will result in wash water that is contaminated with pesticide and as such legally needs collecting and disposing of.
Using a Sentinel system ensures best practice handling of agrochemicals and pesticide waste disposal treatment, allowing reuse of 96% of the water treated. Having a Sentinel installed can allow for an exemption certificate to be issued by the EA for disposing of the treated waste, giving peace of mind that there will be no hefty fines or disposal fees from a waste contractor.

The Sentinel has been tested rigorously in the field and by many independent laboratories and government organisations around the world. The Sentinel is Environment Agency and Voluntary Initiative approved as the best practice for waste pesticide treatment and disposal.

Agrochemical waste consisting of pesticides and/or herbicides primarily from sprayer wash out and sprayer wash down areas. Also from the handling, manufacturing and packaging of agrochemicals.

The Sentinel treats the sprayer washing wastes collected by using a chemical flocculation process that removes the contaminants from the water and concentrates them up into a sludge. For every 1,000 litres treated the Sentinel will return 996 litres of cleaned water for reuse or discharge and 4kg’s of concentrated sludge waste for disposal – effectively reducing the amount of waste to be disposed of by 96%.

The cleaned water can be reused for vehicle washing, discharged to land or to a drain depending on the site location.
The treated wastewater can be disposed of over land more than 100 meters from a watercourse or well. In the UK the Environment Agency needs to be informed of your disposal route.
The treated wastewater can also be disposed to public sewer with a suitable local licence.

The 4% of waste sludge still need to be disposed of to a waste contractor. For larger users, we can reduce the amount of sludge for final disposal if necessary by utilising further technologies.

Yes. The Sentinel treatment system has been used for treating wide mixtures of pesticides in wastewater throughout the World and in independent tests, it reduced the concentration of the pesticides to below the legal disposal requirements.

Very much so! Agriculturally engineered the Sentinel is a very robust piece of machinery with many units from the 1980’s still in operation today all over the world.

You need to calculate the amount of wastewater you will create over a day, week and/or a year. You may well produce a large volume one day and very little for the next week. To overcome this you can purchase a large storage tank to store the waste while you are busy and then treat when you are less busy or when the weather is inclement.

The Sentinel comes in a range of automation to suit both the amount of waste to be treated and the amount of time a site has available to operate it. The most basic plant will need one and a half hours of operator input, whereas a full auto needs none.
Many customers start the process and then go on to other work before returning to the Sentinel plant to finish the process. In all machines, some parts of the process such as filling, emptying through the carbon and pH correction are fully automatic on all machines.

The Sentinel is ideally located in the wash down pad area, allowing it to draw directly out of either the wash down pad sump or another collection tank. The treated water can then be stored in the same area and reused to wash down plant/vehicles or to a suitable discharge point into the environment.

Simply position on an existing wash down pad or a flat area nearby and drop the suction hose into the sump or collection tank. Discharge hoses can be connected to a storage tank or run to an appropriate drain/discharge area.

We would recommend that the Sentinel is undercover and in colder climates, you need to consider the problems caused by freezing temperatures.

The Sentinel plants come in a variety of sizes depending on the amount of waste to be treated over the year, but the range starts from a small 1.5-metre square ‘BOX’ and can be as large as needed. Our commonest Sentinel though for most sites is a 200/300 which has a footprint of 3.6m W x 2.1m D x 2.6m H. If you have a particular space in mind or have an unusual requirement, please don’t hesitate to contact us as we are more than used to accommodating tight and odd spaces!

The Sentinel can be mounted onto a trailer for multiple site use. The smallest Sentinel box can be fitted into the back of a pick-up truck. 

For vineyards that have sumps in individual fields, the Sentinel can be taken to each as is necessary.

The Sentinel can be mounted onto a trailer for multiple site use. The smallest Sentinel box can be fitted into the back of a pick-up truck. 

For vineyards that have sumps in individual fields, the Sentinel can be taken to each as is necessary.

We have Sentinels out in the world that have been operating for close to 30 years and still going strong! Agriculturally engineered to last and work hard, with simple maintenance they can keep going for many years.

Yes! No specific knowledge is needed to look after and operate a Sentinel. With very basic training you will be able to treat your waste and carry out simple maintenance tasks to keep your Sentinel running for years.

In some areas of the UK, grants may be available – worth checking with your local catchment area farming representative.