Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Olufunke Cofie of the International Water Management Institute in Ghana will develop and test fortified fertilizer pellets from treated human excreta for market sale. Production at large scale could enhance agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, while also contributing to reduction in environmental health risk from untreated human waste. In Phase I Cofie tested several materials that are inexpensive and locally available as binding agents for producing robust fecal sludge pellets suitable for packaging and transportation.

Antonio Avila of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil proposes to develop building blocks made from biocomposites that will replace conventional brick and cement constructions for pit latrines. The team will test these building blocks strength and their rate of biodegradation to determine their suitability for building latrines that will decompose once the pits are filled, allowing for the eventual reintroduction of the land for farming and other community uses.

Tim Canter of Frontier Environmental Technology in the U.S. proposes to develop a biogas generator that employs a unique self-sustaining mixing mechanism to effectively treat concentrated wastewater and produce biogas without extra energy or trained personnel.

Arum Han, along with Choongho Yu and Paul de Figueiredo at Texas A&M University in the U.S., will attempt to develop a hybrid waste water treatment system that uses microbial fuel cells to generate energy from waste water, which is then used to power a microbial electrolysis cell to produce biogas as a clean combustible fuel.

Marc Deshusses and David Schaad of Duke University in the U.S. proposes to develop a bioreactor system which converts waste to biogas, which is then burned and the temperature amplified through a heat exchanger to sterilize the treated effluent. This system could capture and re-use greenhouse gases while providing effective sanitation in developing countries.

Yuanbing Mao of the University of Texas-Pan American in the U.S. proposes to develop spray paints consisting of nanomaterials that work together to trap contaminants and destroy them using converted UV light. These spray paints could be used as decontaminating coatings for latrines.

Temesgen Garoma of San Diego State University in the U.S. proposes to develop an enhanced anaerobic digestion system that uses algae as a supplement to reliably and inexpensively treat human waste and also generate biogas for energy needs and biosolids for use as fertilizer.

Steven Dentel of the University of Delaware in the U.S. will test the ability of a low-cost polymeric breathable membrane liner to accelerate the drying and disinfection of fecal waste in pit latrines, while protecting surrounding groundwater from being contaminated with pathogens and chemicals. Breathable membranes are hydrophobic, allowing only air or water vapor to pass through them.

Mike Allen of Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the United Kingdom proposes to develop a low cost, vortex-based bioreactor that is driven by hand or a bicycle to separate fecal matter from waste water and at the same time introduce bactericidal agents to decontaminate the waste for recycling or safe disposal. In Phase I they designed and built a desk-top vortex bioreactor to test different biocidal agents for their ability to kill bacteria, and to be physically immobilized to enable long term use.

Jing Ning of Beijing Sunnybreeze Technology Inc. in China will develop a human fecal waste disposal system that uses wind or solar power to load waste from septic tanks or cesspools into a column, where the waste dehydrates via solar energy, and then is combusted to kill remaining pathogens and reduce its volume. This system is designed to be affordable, durable, and low-maintenance, allowing for rapid, onsite waste disposal.