Scientific and Engineering Approaches
Theme Lead: Dr Santiago Septien Stringel
Year
Title
Lead organisation
Brief Description
2023 – 2026
WASH R&D Centre
Design, develop and pilot scale demonstration of wastewater treatment and recovery systems, which can deliver recycled water without Emerging Contaminants (ECs) having <10 BOD @ < 0.1 USD/m3
2023 – 2026
WASH R&D Centre
The proposed APLS process will treat wastewater, manure and faecal sludge as inputs, to produce treated water for reuse, energy (biogas, liquid hydrocarbons, biochar) and agricultural products (biochar).
2023 – 2026
WASH R&D Centre
This project examines treatment methods to convert bound water to free water within a novel matrix – non-sewered sanitation faecal sludge. Releasing bound water influences the overall treatability of sludge. Sludge is not only easier to dewater and dry, but benefits from improved flowability and reduced stickiness.
2022 – 2024
WASH R&D Centre
| The proposed project is about the development of a cost-effective urine evaporator that could be incorporated into re- engineered toilets like the one developed by Sanitation360 and others from the WRC SASTEP platform. The primary outcome from this project will be developing a urine evaporator that will provide a low-cost urine treatment solution to the back-end of re-engineered toilets. As secondary outcome, this project will bring a better understanding of the urine evaporation process to the sanitation technology developers and provide information for the design of efficient urine evaporation systems. |
2022 – 2024
WASH R&D Centre
he purpose of this project is to develop a cost-effective mark scheme for the certification of non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS) against SANS 30500, identify in-country laboratories with the capacity to provide testing against the entire standard, and test at least one Class 1 and one Class 2 NSSS under the proposed mark scheme in order to identify any other barriers to NSSS achieving certification in South Africa and provide potential solutions going forward.
2022 – 2023
UKZN Electrical Electronics and Computer Engineering
The project aims to develop a practical remote water monitoring and reporting product. The system would collect data from sensors (temperature, ph., conductivity, chemical sensors etc.) deployed in a water body (including rugged environments) and wirelessly transmit sensed data to the control room where it is managed by the developed software application. The developed system will help to monitor, provide alerts, real time data, data analysis and reporting in water pollution, waste water management, coastal marine water management, water fingerprinting and other diverse areas including water COVID epidemiology surveillance systems.
2022 – 2023
Khanyisa Projects
Aims to link sanitation system events to develop data models which, when processed by inference, might be used to forecast sanitation related illness. It also aims to monitor the operation of a pyrolysis plant for the treatment of wastewater treatment works sludge.
2021 – 2024
Appointment of a service provider for the provision of service as a technology evaluator
WASH R&D Centre
Provides the opportunity for the WASH R&D Centre to undertake projects on an ad-hoc basis for the Water Research Commission with proposals submitted in response to a Terms Of Reference.
2021 – 2023
WASH R&D Centre
In this WRC project the knowledge will be used to start a process of understanding the most important microbiological transformations taking place in VIP toilets with a focus on South Africa. The hypothesis is that an understanding of the reactions taking place is necessary for the rational design of improved sanitation systems. This two-year project aims toprovide a platform for future research in the field of on-site sanitation.
2021 – 2023
Understanding of additives on faecal sludge management
WASH R&D Centre
A research programme to provide a better understanding of the genetic diversity of the microbial consortia within the systems, the biochemical characterisation of the solid material in the systems and the major pathways through which the faecal solids are degraded.
2021 – 2023
Development of a R&D platform for the field testing and implementation of solar thermal drying technologies for the treatment of faecal sludge from onsite sanitation facilities
WASH R&D Centre
The aim of this project is to develop a R&D platform for the field testing of existing solar thermal drying technologies in Durban, South Africa.
2021
Assessment of the LiquidGold Urine Reactor
WASH R&D Centre
Technical assessment of the operation of the LiquidGold Africa reactor to process urine into struvite
2020 – 2023
Advancing Circular Economy in the Water Sector: Utilization of Biochar from Sludge Treatment in a Novel Technology for Wastewater Effluent Recovery and Reuse
Umeå University
Investigate low cost activated carbon for tertiary treatment of eThekwini WWTP with DWR schemes; compare activated carbons on the market; different substrates.
2020 – 2023
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
The aim of this project is to provide scientific support for the design and operation of school sanitation facilities by quantifying the volumes and/or mass of the urine and faeces generated, and by qualitative analysis of the excreta streams produced through characterisation of the physico-chemical, thermal and biological properties of faeces and urine.
2020 – 2023
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
The understanding of the different types of interactions of the moisture within the sludge could lead to the improvement of processes and technological innovations. Nevertheless, currently literature lacks information on this topic. In order to fill in this lack of information, the Water Research Commission has opened a direct call for funding to investigate the binding characteristics of the moisture within faecal material (faecal sludge from on-site sanitation facilities and fresh faeces). The outcomes from this project are expected to increase the understanding of faecal sludge characteristics, as well as to lead to improvements in the dewatering and drying process that will benefit the sanitation chain.
2020 – 2022
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
This project seeks to develop guidelines for faecal sludge collection and subsequent disposal or valorisation that regulatory authorities, managers and practitioners responsible for faecal sludge management can easily understand and easily incorporate as part of their service provision operations.
2020 – 2021
SASTEP Extended Development and Field Testing / User Acceptance Evaluation of the EOOS urine trap toilet
PID/EOOS
Demonstrate the EOOS Urine diversion in a South African context and to support R&D on the feasibility of extracting value from the urine waste stream by allowing the urine to be harvested and diverted separately to the faecal waste stream.
2020 – 2021
WASH R&D Centre
This research aimed to identify all locally available low flush toilet pedestals, develop a standard protocol to assess their performance, and in turn to drive policy by regulators and allow for local municipalities to formulate tender specifications that encourage the adoption of low flush pedestals.
2019 – 2023
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
The aim of this project is to develop a cost-effective and functional faecal sludge solar dryer at pilot-scale. the project will contribute to better understanding the kinetics of faecal sludge solar drying at pilot-scale, offers opportunities of a technology to be incorporated as part of a faecal sludge treatment plant operations, and provides an alternative to drying beds that require large land area footprint.
2019 – 2023
Post-doctoral Research
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
The aim of this project is to develop a cost-effective and functional faecal sludge solar dryer at pilot-scale. the project will contribute to better understanding the kinetics of faecal sludge solar drying at pilot-scale, offers opportunities of a technology to be incorporated as part of a faecal sludge treatment plant operations, and provides an alternative to drying beds that require large land area footprint.
2019 – 2021
TruSense
The objective of this project is to provide more technology options to the South African sanitation sector by evaluating the efficacy of the emerging catalysed sub-critical water HTP PCS process to treat faecal sludge.
2019 – 2021
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
| Development of best practice guidelines for the requirements of rigorous field testing of sanitation technologies as part of the commercialisation process, based on the experience gained by the WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG) under the Engineering Field Testing Platform. |
2019 – 2020
Georgia Institute of Technology
|
Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet (G2RT) will build on the exceptional innovations developed during the original Reinvent The Toilet Challenge program. The goal will now be to bring the dispersed efforts together to focus on demonstrating prototypes of a single user reinvented toilet (SURT) that the world’s poorest regions can afford. |
2019
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
Raw Data Collation and Analysis of Sludge and Pit Latrine Characteristics from the Sanitation Research Fund for Africa (SRFA) – a project funded by the WRC aiming at provision of a uniform data base from the raw data on faecal sludge properties and on-site sanitation systems from the SRFA project. It is expected that this database will support researchers, practitioners, design engineers and decision makers in the field of FSM.
2017 – 2023
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
Laboratory and technical support to grantees undertaking engineering field testing of sanitation prototypes, including user acceptance.
2017 – 2019
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
To support the research of drying characteristics and data of fecal matter, and disseminate the findings to sanitation practitioners working in developing countries.
2017 – 2018
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
This book aims at improved communication between sanitation practitioners, comparative faecal sludge database, and improved confidence in the methods and obtained results.
2016 – 2020
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
Since 2010, eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) has been investigating the approach to decentralised wastewater treatment in partnership with the Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA), a German non-profit organisation who has installed many such systems around the world. Decentralised wastewater treatment systems designed by BORDA are constructed on-site and thus, by definition, not regarded as package plants.
2016 – 2018
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
To better understand the microbial risk associated with the beneficiation of faecal sludge from UDDT toilets using Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) and Struvite Reactors. The benefits associated with reuse will be balanced against health risks associated with all stages of faecal sludge and urine handling and processing.
2016 – 2017
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
This project investigates the solar drying and pasteurization of faecal sludge. These will be performed by studying two different types of technologies, one based on sun power collection and the other on sun power concentration.
2015
Isidima
The Sanitation Technology Assessment and Evaluation Protocol is designed to enable the transparent assessment of different household sanitation technologies. This generally excludes septic tanks and stand-alone effluent treatment technologies that are not packaged with a toilet.These technologies should be evaluated in accordance with the Water Research Commission (WRC) guidelines for domestic wastewater package plants.
2014
Oklahoma State University
Development of an experimental rig for the treatment of faecal sludge.
2013
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
The development of a model comparing the cost of different FSM treatment and disposal routes.
2012 – 2014
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
A study into the physical, mechanical and biological properties of faecal sludge from different types of on-site sanitation facilities.
2011 – 2016
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
The WASH R&D Centre, Sasol Technologies and the WRC are cooperated on an investigation into the applicability of forward osmosis technology in treating inorganic brines.
2010 – 2014
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
In 2010, the Water Research Commission granted the WASH R&D Centre with a three year contract purposed to investigate anaerobic digestion processes and the effect of different types of industrial waste streams on the digestion performance. The overall objective of the project was to co-digest concentrated industrial effluent with sewage at the Amanzimtoti wastewater treatment work.
2009 – 2010
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Investigation into sampling and analysis of pit latrine sludge.
2008 – 2011
Partners in Development
A study into the physical, mechanical and biological properties of faecal sludge from different types of on-site sanitation facilities.
2007 – 2010
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
In 2007, the WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG) joined Partners In Development in an investigation into sludge accumulation in VIPs and possible strategies to manage desludging when pits become full. The research set out to establish how many VIPs will require some form of intervention to sustain its use in the future. The study also evaluated more affordable and easier ways of desludging VIPs when they are full.
2006 – 2010
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
This project describes the development of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor for on-site sanitation. The specific application is an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) with a membrane filtration post-treatment step.
2005 – 2008
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
This project proposed to undertake field and laboratory investigations of VIPs and their contents in and around the eThekwini Municipal area in order to understand the conditions found in the pits and to propose design and operating practice that will extend the life of pits.
2002 – 2004
WASH R&D Centre (as the PRG)
When emptying VIPs large quantities of water need to be transported in order to dispose of relatively small quantities of solid waste. It is logical then to consider drying the material. Desiccation not only decreases the volume of material that requires handling, allowing it be worked with hand tools, but also reduces odour and pathogen content. This provides the potential for owner servicing, further reducing the burden on municipalities. Ecological sanitation (ecosan) systems using desiccation have been implemented elsewhere, however not under conditions similar to those found in Durban.
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