2011 - 2013 Modelling the next generation of sanitation systems To develop an easy-to-apply simulation tool set up to enable local city managers to assess the implications of adopting alternative sanitation strategies at scale.

The project develops a simulator for sanitation systems. The novelty of this project lies in the adaptation of an existing resource-flux simulation methodology used on networked systems to calculate nutrient and energy fluxes specifically for on-site sanitation systems. The simulation methodology has been already applied successfully by ifak in several networked sanitation contexts in developing countries. However, the concept is currently being extended to cater […]

2012 - 2016 Activating the urban on site sanitation market with new technology The project will prime the market in four cities in Africa and South Asia for the rapid uptake of sanitation services and create the enabling environment for the market based scale-up of new and innovative sanitation options.

This grant will support a four year program aimed at using new sanitation technologies to activate and expand the sanitation market in four cities in Africa and South Asia. Last year, the Foundation put sanitation on the map when it issued a challenge to design toilets that can capture and process human waste without piped water, sewer or electrical connections, and transform human waste into […]

2012 - 2018 Software to identify and quantify pathogenic helminth eggs Software to automatically identify and quantify pathogenic helminth eggs in water, wastewater, biosolids and excreta

Phase 1 & 2: To provide a digital tool for many water survey facilities around the world, so faster and reliable water quality analysis reduce heminthioses among other enteric diseases in many communities worldwide Phase 3: To develop a distributed system that reliably identifies and quantifies the helminth egg pathogens, resulting in reduction of the complexity and cost of helminth diagnostics This project has developed an automatic […]

2011 - 2012 Reusable self-decontaminating sanitary napkin To develop a hygienic, reusable menstrual napkin to decrease the incidence of reproductive tract infections acquired from current menstrual practices in developing countries.

2011 - 2014 Menstrual management & sanitation systems - Global review of sanitation systems trends and interactions with menstrual management practices Understanding experiences of women in managing their menstrual periods, including the products that they use, their perceptions of the sanitation facilities they use, and how their periods may impact their daily routines.

The project will address the interactions between menstrual management and sanitation, using a systems approach that integrates an understanding of the sanitation hardware with women’s practices, needs and willingness to pay for menstrual management products. The scope of work includes: 1) a comprehensive literature review to synthesize current knowledge about the interaction between women's menstrual management practices and sanitation systems, 2) detailed case studies in […]

2011 - 2015 Excrevator - Reliable and hygienic pit emptying system using modified power augers To modify and test a portable, gasoline powered earth auger that can be used to more efficiently and hygienically empty septic tanks, cesspits and latrines.

Initial Prototype Development and Testing: Phase I involved development of an initial prototype and experimental facilities to evaluate the system. Our initial design was a simple modification of a standard earth auger with a machined coupling, PVC pipe and Tee. Once a functional prototype was developed, the auger was tested to evaluate the effect of auger rotating speed (rpm), auger length, and waste viscosity on pumping rate […]

2011 - 2013 Integrated mobile sanitation solutions in peri-urban setting To develop a portable, low-cost household toilet and entrepreneurial service model to deliver a safe, dignified sanitation service in urban slums (the toilet is portable, with removable containers to collect and transport wastes safely from the community)

We are developing a portable, low-cost household toilet and entrepreneurial service model to deliver a safe, dignified sanitation service in urban slums. We piloted a container-based system in Shada, a slum that has no sewers and no piped water supply. Our toilet is portable, with removable containers to collect and transport wastes safely from the community. Waste is being processed at SOIL's human waste composting […]

2011 - 2013 Electrically reducing adhesion of sludge to a tank To test the ability of electricity to change the consistency and adhesive properties of dense solids at the bottom of septic tanks.

2011 - 2016 Development of a low cost sanitation solution for specific emergency situations The design is an urban sanitation solution which is low-cost, robust, aesthetic, deployable, and erectable in kit form for areas which have been previously very difficult to serve: high-density urban areas, refugee camps, and flooded areas.

The design is an urban sanitation solution which is low-cost, robust, aesthetic, deployable, and erectable in kit form for areas which have been previously very difficult to serve: high-density urban areas, refugee camps, and flooded areas - situations which are common in the aftermath of disaster. Previous title was: Urban sanitation solutions for high-use, flooded, and difficult to serve areas

2011 - 2013 Turning latrines into fly traps To design traps that attract, capture and kill flies in latrines in an effort to reduce fly-transmitted diarrheal diseases.

This project was carried out in a rural setting in The Gambia. We carried out a series of experiments to find out whether Chrysomya putoria, the African latrine fly, carries pathogens that can cause diarrheal disease in people, and to fly-proof latrines and turn them into giant fly traps.

2011 - 2013 Self-sterilizing easy clean latrine mat and casting form To develop a latrine mat made from self-sterilizing plastic that can be filled with concrete and set in place to provide a permanent antimicrobial surface for traditional squat latrines

2011 - 2015 Development of superhydrophobic surfaces for sanitation solutions The superhydrophobic material will repel wastes and collect clean water with virtually no external energy needed.

Recently, we invented a technique in my laboratory that uses lasers to transform a regular material surface super-hydrophilic. Compared to other hydrophilic materials, the hydrophilicity we created is shockingly strong. In a dramatic demonstration, we showed that a regular piece of metal or glass, after treated by our process, exhibits such a strong hydrophilic effect that liquids, once touch the bottom of a vertically-standing treated […]

2011 - 2012 Prototype microflush-biofil toilet facilities To develop and field test in Ghana a prototype toilet facility that incorporates a digester to decompose waste along with a microflush valve that uses minimal amounts of grey water from hand washing.

The GCE R6 grant enabled GSAP to bring together the Microflush valve and the Biofil digester, a macro-organism enhanced aerobic digester and field test these in several configurations (household- school and public toilets) in a rural community in Ghana. The results have been impressive for the technology. The implications for household toilets are most promising though the cost has had to be addressed. The challenge […]

2011 - 2014 Photoactive silicones for self-cleaning and antimicrobial sanitary units Aim is to develop and disseminate unique, cost effective, self-cleaning, durable, and antimicrobial coatings applicable to non-piped and minimal-water sanitation projects for both the urban and rural poor.

In our Phase-I project we propose to incorporate recent advances in nanotechnology and hydrophobicity of silicone materials for the development and application of novel, cost-effective, durable, antimicrobial and self-cleaning surfaces for sanitary units and sanitary facilities.

2011 - 2013 Novel spray paints for self-decontaminating latrine coatings To develop spray paints that will exhibit synergic properties by integrating the individual nanocomponents, realizing full potential of latrine coatings in terms of self-decontaminating performance.

The proposed spray paints consist of heterogeneous nanomaterials with three nanocomponents. Each component is tailored to address a different demand (e.g. high decontaminating efficiency, high contaminant adsorption, and broad solar spectrum utilization), so the resulting paints will exhibit synergic properties by integrating the individual nanocomponents, realizing full potential of latrine coatings in terms of self-decontaminating performance (e.g. durable, affordable, able to be mass produced, easy […]

2011 - 2012 Lotus throne: A self-cleaning solution to sanitation Testing UV-resistant super-water-repellent silica as a coating for toilets, which could reduce the amount of water needed to clean the toilets after use and improve the surface sanitation of the toilets.

2011 - 2012 Lego-like bricks made of bio-composites for pit latrines Development of a fully biodegradable brick in the “Lego-like” shape for building pit latrines. Large-scale tests are being conducted in Brazil and Ethiopia.

To be able to disseminate the Lego-like brick, we decided to create an Eco-center in a community school in Brazil. The idea is to teach the students, their parents and the community around the school how to manufacture the Lego-like bricks. At the same time we would like to a sense of community and more important create a conscious ecological way of thinking.

2011 - 2012 Latrine training mat To design a children’s latrine training mat made from easy-to-clean plastic that fits over an existing latrine hole in an effort to promote good sanitation practices and foster a life-long habit of latrine use.

2011 - 2015 Earth auger toilet: Innovation in waterless sanitation To develop several prototypes of a mechanised, pedal-operated, low-cost, easy-to-use, odourless urine-diverting dry toilet (UDDT).

Development of prototypes: Several prototypes of “El Taladro de la Tierra“ (The Earth Auger) were designed based on earlier work Dr. Henry had done at the University of Washington. These are decentralized pedal-operated urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDT) where diverted urine is infiltrated into the ground and faeces are being composted. The main innovations with the prototypes were the mechanised, foot-pedal-actuated dry-flush system and sawdust delivery […]

2011 - 2017 Sustainable decentralized wastewater management in developing countries: design, operation, and monitoring Reinventing innovative decentralized systems and technologies for full or partial treatment, and disposal of human excreta and wastewater from dwellings and businesses in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The project seeks to reinvent technologies for decentralized wastewater management that is Naturally Acceptable and Technological Sustainable (NATS). The project focuses on innovation in decentralized systems and technologies using a market-led approach for full or partial treatment and disposal of human excreta and wastewater from dwellings and businesses. Targets: The project has quantifiable targets, which includes among others development of thermal septic tank, microwave and microbial […]