Sanitation

Luiza Cintra Campos of the University College London in the United Kingdom proposes to develop a simulation tool that can be used in developing communities that have non-networked sanitation systems to effectively evaluate new sanitation technologies. By including parameters such as pit latrines served, distance to treatment, and potential for energy recovery, the simulation tool can aid communities in determining the best new systems for local needs.

Steven Cobb and a team at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom proposes to develop a macroporous scaffold that can support bacterial cells and metal nanoparticles that work together to catalyze conversion of fecal sludge into hydrogen for electricity. This technology could be used as a stand-alone sanitation solution or integrated into existing sewage pipe networks.

Duvon McGuire of New Life International, Inc. in the U.S. will develop a low-pressure air compressor and air pump that can be used with simple, inexpensive small- scale windmill technologies to power waste water treatment systems in developing countries.

Caitlyn Butler, Mark Henderson and Brad Rogers of Arizona State University in the U.S. will adapt pit latrines to harvest organic substrates and nitrogen compounds in human waste using microbial fuel cells, which will transform the biochemical energy into carbon-neutral electricity.

Rob Hughes and colleagues at Live & Learn Environmental Education in Cambodia will develop and test floating biodigesters for use by floating communities to treat human waste and convert it to fertilizer and gas for light and cooking. These biodigesters would provide sanitation options and economic opportunities for communities that live on water.

Victor Barinov of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in the U.S. will test the ability of electricity to change the consistency and adhesive properties of dense solids at the bottom of septic tanks. If successful, applying an electrical change via a low-cost battery would allow vacuum pumps to operate at a significantly higher extraction rate to move waste to a treatment facility.

Ioannis Ieropoulos of the University of the West of England, Bristol in the United Kingdom will test the ability of microbial fuel cells to convert urine and sludge into electrical energy while also purifying water by killing disease-causing pathogens in the waste. This technology could enable energy recovery from urine and other waste streams in developing countries.

Yinjie Tang at Washington University in St. Louis in the U.S. proposes to develop a genetically engineered fungal species that can convert fecal sludge to butanol, a high-energy biofuel similar to gasoline. The fungal species could not only produce biofuels, but also kill pathogenic microorganisms in fecal sludge.

Taber Hand of Wetlands Work! in Cambodia will field test a waste water treatment system that uses floating "pods" similar to children's wading pools that are filled with wetland plants and moving water and sit directly under the toilet of houseboats in floating villages in Southeast Asia. Bacteria that reside in the plant roots create a biofilm which traps organic matter and begins a food chain which breaks down the waste and cleans the water.

Blanca Jimenez Cisneros of Mexican Autonomous National University in Mexico will develop software to automatically identify and quantify parasitic helminth eggs in wastewater. The software could provide a rapid and low-cost method for untrained personnel to test wastewater before its reuse in agriculture, thereby reducing parasitic infections in local populations.