Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Ceramic silver-zeolite impregnated filters for low cost point of use drinking water treatment in Ghana

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, inorganic arsenic is the most toxic form, and has been classified as group 1 carcinogenic to humans. The aim of this project is to prepare cost-effective, reusable and biodegradable filters from poultry feathers that removes arsenic from contaminated drinking water.

Access to clean water is a key determinant of public health and current purification methods are energy intensive and thus impractical for low income regions. This project will develop a scalable energy-efficient water purification method based on ion concentration polarization at the interface between micro scale channels and planar nanoporous membranes. Follow Sinton Labs on Twitter on @SintonLab and David Sinton on @DaveSinton"

FLOW SMS applies low-cost, ready existent mobile technology to radically improve global management of access to water for underserved communities. Empowering people to live healthy, enabling children to go to school and contributing to global wealth.

One of the key challenges for Bangladeshis in remote locations is the frequent monitoring of wells. (Some rural wells still have not been tested.) We are developing a cheap and portable lab-on-a-chip technique that will allow frequent tests of wells.

Nano-magnetite supported filters will be used to remove pollutants from waste-water in Pakistan that could provide a cost-effective and environment-friendly solution to water pollution.

Two and a half billion people worldwide lack access to proper sanitation. Three million of them are in Lima, Peru’s capital. Although poor sanitation in slums also affects men, it is women in the slums who suffer the greatest burden, as they are unable to relieve themselves discreetly due to a variety of factors, including their modesty and susceptibility to sexual attacks. This is in addition to other health risks, especially diarrhea, which kills 1.5 million children under five each year. Poor sanitation also contributes to developmental delays in children through infections.

The Banza Sanitation Pilot Project will conduct field trials of uniquely designed toilets and waste collection services in selected slum settlements of Kenya to test improvements in health and sanitation. The Banza Toilets are the design of Patrick Kiruki, an industrial designer from Kenya and the founder of Banza Ltd. A successful project will lead to scaled-up distribution of toilets and waste collection services in Kenya. Follow the Banza Sanitation Project on Twitter @BanzaToilet"

A new technology, proven in the lab and now in field tests in rural India, uses composting worms to degrade fecal solids and a filtration system to treat the liquid effluent. The technology takes half the space of a twin pit latrine, treats fecal waste effectively, requires less frequent emptying and costs about the same to install. The new system links to a pour-flush toilet with a water seal, thus providing a hygienic environment, free of smells and flies.

Lack of appropriate treatment of human waste, especially in rural communities, is unnecessarily impacting human health and well-being. We will explore ways to ""create wealth from waste"in Uganda, to reduce environmental pollution, increase access to 'green' energy, decrease waterborne and respiratory diseases, and contribute to development.