Adaptation of pyrolysis technologies to the waste treatment market To advance the application of pyrolysis technology to treat human waste, as a solution that can increase access to safe sanitation through offering a modular system appropriate for urban environments in developing countries.
Unilever are creating Oya, a community scale sanitation treatment system to serve over 2,500 people.
Oya will take in human waste alongside other wastes that cause harm to the community, such as clinical, household and industrial wastes. These waste materials will be converted to useful products such as water, energy, ash and soil improver.
Oya will modify a commercially available pyrolysis unit to treat human waste streams. Pyrolysis is the decomposition of material using heat in the absence of oxygen. This creates an inert ash and a syngas, which is combusted to produce heat.
Mission
A key aim of the trials is to prove that by mixing different kinds of waste with human waste, the calorific value of the overall mixture can be made high enough so that pyrolysis generates enough energy for the whole system. The goal is to find the highest ratio of human waste to supplementary waste for each different combination.Approach
This was an RTTC grant.BMGF grant database (brief information)
Answer questions about the project
Filter / Tags
Technology comparisonsProduct design and engineeringGlobalTreatment of faecal sludgeFaecal sludge treatment processesFundamental research and engineeringOtherBill & Melinda Gates FoundationEnergy: electricity, hydrogen, fuel cellsFertiliserPrivate sector, including social enterprises
Related Countries
United States
Project location
