2011 - 2013 Algae for the effective and economical treatment of waste Developing a full-scale demonstration of a “waste farm” that will cultivate algae for the production of bioenergy and a valuable live feed crop for the local community using waste as the feedstock.

The goal of our project is to develop a full-scale demonstration of a "waste farm," an efficient, easy-to-operate, and novel waste treatment system that will involve mass cultivating algae for the production of bioenergy and a valuable live feed crop for the local community using waste as the feedstock. We are using next-generation biotechnology to characterize and evolve native strains of algae for higher productivity […]

2011 - 2014 Low-cost decentralized sanitary system for treatment, water and resources recovery Providing low-cost decentralized sanitary system for treatment, water, and resources recovery which as a next step has to be affordable and effective without the input of electricity.

This toilet block integrates energy and water reuse in a single sanitary system. It uses biochar or animal dung to: i) dry feces (covered with sawdust) and convert dried feces into biochar under oxygen-deficit environment for subsequent combustion (i.e., energy recovery from feces); and ii) extract water from urine by boiling under reduced pressure conditions to produce potable-grade water after ion exchange resins and activated […]

2011 - 2013 Energy recovery and waste treatment with floating biodigesters Improving the sanitation of water-based and floodprone communities through floating, small-scale biodigesters where excreta is converted into biogas for energy and into fertilizer.

This project will develop and trial floating and small-scale biodigesters to convert human and animal waste to biogas for energy and treated waste for fertilizer, while improving the sanitation and public health outcomes of communities living in challenging environments such as water-based and floodprone communities. Research is covering 4 main areas: a) waste treatment effectiveness and related parameters, b) biodigestion operation and gas production c) system […]

2011 - 2012 Decentralized sanitation system based on vacuum collection and reuse of excreta and kitchen waste To build up a more affordable and sustainable sanitation mode which bases principally on vacuum collection of domestic wastes (excrements and kitchen wastes) and reuse them as fertilizer in China.

Helped by the 10,000$ from the Bill & Melinda Gates’ Foundation, we built a demonstrate engineering located in Chentang Village, Changsu City, Jiangsu Province in China. The engineering contains 41 vacuum toilets, 750m-length pipeline, a pump-station with a 24m3 tank for storing the blackwater and has served for 23 families over 2 years. The total engineering cost is 430,000 RMBs (~66,000$), which is not more […]

2011 - 2018 Urine-tricity: Electricity from urine To scale down the size and improve the performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology in order to further opportunities to implement this technology to address energy access issues in developing countries

Phase 3 involves further research into and optimisation of the MFCs in terms of wastewater treatment, electricity generation and other benefits (e.g. pathogen killing and disinfectant production), taking the technology forward towards commercialisation, and setting up field trials in developing country locations where they lack sanitation infrastructure and electricity access. The first field trial is being installed in Uganda. A partnership with Oxfam (since 2016) […]

2011 - 2013 Something from Nothing 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.

2011 - 2013 Increase of biogas production using low cost nanoparticles To increase the production of biogas from sludge and other organic solid wastes using low cost iron oxide biocompatible nanoparticles (FeNPs) and the simultaneous production of high quality sanitized compost.

We have observed in batch experiments how the introduction on iron oxide nanoparticles in a standard anaerobic digester of wastewater sludge is able to increase the production of biogas by more than 70%. These experiments have been conducted at low-scale (1 L) and using pure substrates as cellulose. Our main interest is to see if this increase in the biogas production and, inconsequence, in renewable […]

2011 - 2015 Energy-producing waterless toilet system Developing and testing a waterless toilet that seals and stores waste in biodegradable film, within a portable container, for easy transport to a local anaerobic digester in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Loowatt received GCE Phase 1 funding in 2011 to implement the Antananarivo Pilot. The system began to serve paying customers in late 2012. In this project, Loowatt Ltd. further developed and tested a waterless toilet that seals and stores waste in biodegradable film, within a portable container, for easy transport to a local anaerobic digester. The toilet was functionally resolved in 2011 and had been tested […]

2011 - 2015 Sol-Char Toilet: Using concentrated solar energy to stabilize fecal waste and produce a valuable soil amendment Concentrated Solar energy heats the fecal matter up to 750°C and produces thereby char for agricultural soil application.

The Sol-Char Toilet – is a waterless, self-contained toilet that functions off-the-grid. Concentrated sunlight is delivered to fiber optic bundles located at the focus of parabolic concentrators (see Concept Sketch). The fiber optic cables are fed to the reaction compartment of the Sol-Char where the various individual cables are terminated at an outer or “solar” lid positioned over the waste collection container. The innovative transmission […]

2011 - 2016 Learning from existing commercial product services (Operating toilet blocks in India with a reward system) Samagra Sanitation is the first for-profit social enterprise in India that is dedicated to providing access to clean, safe, and reliable community toilet facilities for the urban slum-dwelling poor

Samagra Sanitation is the first for-profit social enterprise in India that is dedicated to providing access to clean, safe, and reliable community toilet facilities for the urban slum-dwelling poor. What makes the model innovative is the seamless bundling of other value-added services along with the toilet block: - Financial services (including savings accounts) - Access to digital goods (mobile phone re-charge, TV subscription services, Bill Payment Services) - […]

2011 - 2015 NEWgenerator for recovery of nutrients, energy and water from human wastes The NEWgenerator is a hybrid anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) machine which is packaged in a small-footprint modular housing for off-grid deployment and can be paired with pit latrines, septic tanks, fecal sludge pits and self-standing toilets.

The NEWgenerator is a compact and robust resource recovery machine that is paired with pit latrines, septic tanks, fecal sludge pits and self-standing toilets to treat, recycle and harvest embedded nutrients, energy and water in human wastes. It is intended for “wet pits” from communities that utilize water for washing or flushing, which renders the fecal sludge too wet for combustion processes such as pyrolysis […]

2011 - 2013 Hybrid anaerobic digester-microbial fuel cell for energy and nutrient capture To develop a low-cost wastewater treatment system comprised of an anaerobic digester that generates organically rich acids to power a microbial fuel cell.

MFC Microbial fuel cell

2011 - 2012 High efficiency, sanitary toilet with sewage treatment To develop and test a simple toilet with integrated waste treatment that dewaters fecal sludge and decontaminates it of bacteria and helminth eggs, turning it into safe, dry, odorless pellets that can be used for fertilizer or fuel.

2011 - 2015 Fecal sludge to biodiesel – production of chemicals, pathogen reduction and feedstock variability Developing a technology based on anaerobic fermentation and digestion to convert faecal sludge into biodiesel precursors and biogas and setting up a social enterprise model that reinvests the revenues into improving sanitation for the urban poor.

This project focuses on the development of a resource-recovery based sanitation technology. which uses fecal sludge as a feedstock for producing biodiesel and biogas. The technology development is being conducted by a team of nine American and Ghanaian engineers based in Kumasi, with the oversight of Prof. Kartik Chandran of Columbia University. Technology development is accompanied by development of a social business model that aims […]

2011 - 2013 Enhanced anaerobic digestion: a sanitation and energy recovery technology (ModAD) The goal of this project is to modify and adapt an anaerobic digestion system that will treat waste and generate a reliable supply of biogas from the co-digestion of algal biomass and waste.

Modified Anaerobic Digestion (ModAD) technology, developed at San Diego State University with a grant from the Grand Challenge Explorations Program of the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, has the potential to address the sanitation challenges in developing countries. Laboratory results showed that the technology can be developed into a reliable, affordable, and sustainable waste treatment system (Garoma and Williams, 2012). ModAD technology has produced residual […]

2011 - 2013 Economic incentives for improved sanitation Demonstrate that carboxylic acid fermentation can be adapted as a sanitation treatment to kill pathogens in waste and convert it to liquid fuels, compost, and potable water.

2011 - 2013 Direct electricity from fecal sludge in bioelectric systems To develop a low cost and easy-to-operate bioelectric reactor that uses microbes to break down waste and convert it to usable electricity and chemicals. An adequate solution for communities in need of sanitary waste disposal and energy supply.

We focus on developing low cost and easy-to-operate bioelectric toilets to treat fecal sludge and directly convert waste to usable electric energy and chemicals. The principle and operation of bioelectric toilets are relatively simple, but it represents a completely new method for high quality energy and chemical recovery from waste. In the reactor anode chamber, microorganisms degrade fecal sludge as their substrate and transfer electrons […]

2011 - 2013 Converting excreta to valuable products To combine anaerobic micro-digesters and micro combined heat/power thermoelectric generation units into a single portable unit that can consume human excreta to generate electricity, heat, methane, fertilizer and water.

2011 - 2013 Conversion of human excreta to energy and biochar Purpose of the project is to use low-cost pyrolysis reactors to convert human waste into biochar, which can be used as a replacement for wood charcoal or chemical fertilizers.

re:char develops and deploys small biochar production factories in the developing world. The re:char concept: re:char empowers subsistence farmers in the developing world to enhance their crop yields and supplement their income while trapping atmospheric carbon and enriching depleted soils! Climate Kiln: re:char’s Climate Kiln is a small pyrolysis system capable of generating biochar or fuel charcoal. Pyrolysis: Re:char is focused on adapting the time-tested pyrolysis process for […]

2011 - 2012 Conversion of fecal waste to biofuels by engineered microbes; integration of sewage sludge digestion with advanced biofuel synthesis Demonstrating a potential path that combines fungus or engineered bacterium with anaerobic digestion to achieve simultaneous organic waste treatment and advanced biofuel production.

Tang Lab studies microbial cells as factories for production of bio-products and remediation of toxic compounds. Our research involves interdisciplinary fields ranging from microbiology/molecular biology to chemical and bioprocess engineering. On the biological side: we develop and studied the functional genomics tools to provide quantitative readout of metabolic status; (2) apply computer models to describe the cellular metabolism; (3) build microbial strains to produce biofuel […]