Distributed Sanitation and Energy Production Facility
Lead Research Organisation:
Brunel University London
Department Name: Mech. Engineering, Aerospace & Civil Eng
Abstract
My research area is in distributed sanitation and energy facilities, I will be focusing my attention hydrogen production and nutrient recovery from source-separated urine.
Objectives
The main focus will be on generating hydrogen from source separated urine, whilst recovery nutrients. With the overall goal to provide a decentralised facility that is capable of producing electricity whilst destroying the pathogens and breaking down human excreta into useable by-products, that can be used locally.
Methodology
Testing various methods of hydrogen production by splitting ammonia and urea compounds found in source separated urine, whilst also recovering nitrogen, potassium and phosphate to be used as a fertiliser. This will be carried out testing various prototypes to test the performance of the different designs in a lab situation. Once the design has been checked and optimised, the functionality and performance will be field tested, ideally in a developing community, to make further adjustments. Monitoring of the system can be carried out to measure the efficiency and production rate to measure the economic viability, and to make any further adjustments.
Funding applications will be carried out - to enable the production of these facilities, to test them at different locations and to conduct an observation of use and maintenance; in order to see if further training or any modifications need to be undertaken, to restrict improper use of the facility.
Objectives
The main focus will be on generating hydrogen from source separated urine, whilst recovery nutrients. With the overall goal to provide a decentralised facility that is capable of producing electricity whilst destroying the pathogens and breaking down human excreta into useable by-products, that can be used locally.
Methodology
Testing various methods of hydrogen production by splitting ammonia and urea compounds found in source separated urine, whilst also recovering nitrogen, potassium and phosphate to be used as a fertiliser. This will be carried out testing various prototypes to test the performance of the different designs in a lab situation. Once the design has been checked and optimised, the functionality and performance will be field tested, ideally in a developing community, to make further adjustments. Monitoring of the system can be carried out to measure the efficiency and production rate to measure the economic viability, and to make any further adjustments.
Funding applications will be carried out - to enable the production of these facilities, to test them at different locations and to conduct an observation of use and maintenance; in order to see if further training or any modifications need to be undertaken, to restrict improper use of the facility.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509437/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1836514 | Studentship | EP/N509437/1 | 01/01/2017 | 30/06/2020 | Thomas Fudge |
| EP/R512990/1 | 01/10/2018 | 30/09/2023 | |||
| 1836514 | Studentship | EP/R512990/1 | 01/01/2017 | 30/06/2020 | Thomas Fudge |
| Description | The research has explored barriers to implementing sanitation solutions and new technologies into rural communities for decentralised wastewater treatment. Different experts within the field where interviewed to get different perspectives which will tailor the design and the development of a suitable BES for decentralised wastewater treatment. The research explored social, economic, environmental, political & technical aspects that lead to the development strategy to implement decentralised wastewater treatment systems. The research has also been used to assess and develop a tool for WASH practioners to assess WASH interventions within communities and to highlight where there could be improvements made. The research project has been developing low cost Electro-Methanogenic reactors with new electrodes to make the technology suitable for developing communities. The pilot was installed in February and will be running for six months. |
| Exploitation Route | The research may be used by WASH practioners to aid in implementing new technologies and to assess current solutions that are in place to highlight the areas that require the most immediate attention. The research has led to spin off company called WASE that has received £300,000 in funding to develop the technology further and will be installing pilot systems in the UK and Kenya in 2019 |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Construction,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Other |
| Description | Thomas carried out research projects with SHRI a social enterprise in India providing sanitation to communities. The findings have been forward to assess all the sites where they provide sanitation solutions and are now working with WASE to install EMR systems in rural communities in India. The project has led to the dissemination of the research to wider audiences from different backgrounds including panels at Oxford Brooks University, Talking at a conference in the house of lords, being asked to present the research to the Green Building Council and the World Bank at their conference on sanitation and water access. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
| Description | Innovate UK - Energy Catalyst 6 |
| Amount | £300,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 108964-627510 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2019 |
| End | 05/2020 |
| Description | United nations World Food Program - Sprint Program |
| Amount | £45,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Supporting food systems and nutrition through the use of Electro-methanogenic reactors that turn waste into energy |
| Organisation | United Nations (UN) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 10/2018 |
| End | 05/2019 |
| Description | Co development for the development of decentralised wastewater treatment plants. |
| Organisation | World Food Programme (Italy, Sudan, Senegal) |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We developed a pilot Electro-Methanogenic Reactor for wastewater treatment connected directly to two latrines. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provided space and access to test and deploy the system |
| Impact | We have recieved innovate UK funding to pilot this year in Kenya which will start in June |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Company Name | WASE LIMITED |
| Description | WASE provides decentralised wastewater treatment and biogas production plant, that are designed to treat wastewater for communities and industry. The system is modular allowing it to easily be scaled and adapt to the growing demand of wastewater treatment as communities and business grow. Our solution reduces the size and cost of wastewater treatment making it accessible to communities that are faced with poor sanitation and energy access, which stifles economic growth. We use a circular economy model to recover the valuable elements within wastewater that can be used locally. Most of our competitors focus on the removal of contaminants, with the recovery of one or two elements. We recover all the valuable elements; energy, nutrients and water. Additionally, our modular technology is designed to suit differing needs depending on the site and the customer. Our circular approach is the most sustainable option for decentralised sanitation that minimizes waste and reduces our customer's costs. The modularity means we can increase the capacity of the system from 10 users to 20,000+. The energy we produce is high quality, and the customer can choose how they utilise it, whether they convert the methane into electricity or use it for cooking, heating or cooling. The water crisis is the largest global threat due to the potential impact it has on society, along with energy price shocks and biodiversity loss. 2.3 billion people do not have adequate sanitation, 1.4 billion people lack access to electricity and 2.7 billion people do not have access to clean cooking facilities. The water-energy-food nexus highlights the links between these challenges and the need for solutions that address all three areas. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is often seen as a social issue; however, the world bank estimates that $169 billion is lost globally every year due to poor sanitation. Across 18 countries in Africa the World Bank estimates 20 million latrines are required to eliminate open defecation with the current population. Most countries are investing as little as 0.1% of GDP into sanitation services even though economic losses are around 1-2.5%. There are multiple issues surrounding sanitation service, creating bottle necks that are limiting investment into new services. One of the main issues is the cost of installing traditional pit latrines or centralised treatment that requires costly treatment and vast amounts of water. These issues are also present in refugee camps and across other continents such as Asia; India is losing an estimated $53.8 billion from poor sanitation. Think tanks and humanitarian agencies such as Chatham House and The Toilet Board Coalition are asking for private companies to enter the market and develop sustainable and affordable decentralised sanitation systems that treat wastewater adequately (REF). Decentralised treatment is not only an issue in developing communities but also in some areas of the EU, where countries like Scotland have rural communities with no centralised wastewater infrastructure (REF). WASE carried out an initial assessment of sanitation and energy systems in developing communities, assessing the most suitable technologies in 2016. The study revealed an opportunity to recover resources from the waste in a sustainable way according to circular economy principles using Electro-Methanogenic Reactors (EMR). EMRs are an emerging technology that have shown promise for future wastewater treatment. The research has progressed to find multiple technologies within this field, with EMRs being the most commercially viable. The systems have typically been designed for industrialised communities using expensive catalysts and membranes, however, WASE is developing low cost electrode materials and removed the membranes, making the technology economically viable for developing and remote regions. |
| Year Established | 2017 |
| Impact | WASE has won 4 awards including UK Energy Innovation Award, Shell Livewire, NACUE Entrepreneurship competition, Santander Universities Entrepreneur (Tech Catagory), and was a finalist in the MIAT prize, What Design Can Do, and Climate Launchpad. WASE is on the leading EU accelerator program Climate KIC, and is also part of the Exeter Velocities Nurture program. WASE has won grants from the UNWFP sprint program and Innovate UK 3 full-time jobs have been created, and 3 tempory positions with another 4 positions starting in June. WASE has built a pilot decentralised system in Ital with the UN and is now deploying the system in Kenya to treat the waste for 100 people in Daadad. |
| Website | http://www.wase-tech.com |
| Description | Breakfast talk at House of Lords |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | I was asked to give a talk about the importance of education and entrepreneurship and how the two can be linked together. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Disruptive Innovation Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I created a video for the DIF about wastewater and the circular economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | FAME LAB |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented two talks about water to different audenices. 1 about fatbergs and their implication on our sewage network and another on the need for sanitation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Falling Walls |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | After winning the regional heats, I presented my research on decentralised wastewater treatment systems and their application in rural communities at the falling Walls Lab conference in Berlin. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Fatbergs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I participated on a panel discussion about fatbergs and also participated in the making of a podcast. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://bit.ly/2SpHjK1 |
| Description | Master Class - Royal Institute of Engineers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Master Class Session Plan Microbial Fuel Cells Presentation (30 min) The students will be introduced to wastewater treatment principles looking at the context of underserved communities. An overview of biological electrochemical systems will be covered with a more in depth look at Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) and how they operate. The session will also cover principles for designing technologies for underserved communities that include social, environmental and economic aspects. Breakout Session (10 min per station) The breakout session will have multiple stations where the students will work in 9 groups of 3-4 to analyse different MFCs, the properties of the different wastewater samples, and the ability of the MFCs to treat the wastewater. From the analysis the students will be tasked with designing a MFC system that can treat the wastewater for a family in a Ugandan Refugee camp and power a lightbulb. MFC Station There will be three MFC stations that will use a multimeter to measure the power output of the different Water Analysis The students will carry out multiple tests on the wastewater before and after treatment to analyse the MFCs ability to treat the wastewater. During this there will be different stations setup with wastewater samples so the students can analyse the different aspects of water treatment and use different types of equipment and methods. 1. Total Dissolved Solids/Conductivity a. Using a pocket analyser 2. Chemical Oxygen Demand and Turbidity a. Using a 3D printed and Arduino components that uses open source software 3. pH a. Using a pocket analyser 4. pH a. Using testing strips Practical Stations There will also be 2x hands on sessions, I am still in the process to see which would be more beneficial for the students but they will be 2 of the below, it will depend on whether I can acquire some components for free to reduce the costs. 1. Making own Synthetic water samples 2. Making Carbon Cloth Cathode 3. Constructing an MFC following instructions 4. Constructing a water pumping station to understand flow rates Design Session (30 mins) The students will analyse the results and then design their own system based on the provided materials and designs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://wasetech-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/thomas_fudge_wase-tech_com/ETvWlfxFCjlOo8bZ-9_zsk0... |
| Description | Nuffield Placement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | 6 week placement to work on developing solutions for decentralised wastewater treatment in Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Uganda. The students where given different weekly workshops at Brunel, to learn new skills and understand the issues faced by communities in refugee camps in particular Bidi Bidi. During the 6 weeks the group were required to develop a solution to provide sanitation and energy to the community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Pannel Discussion |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was asked onto a panel to discuss our journey from research to startup and the challenges we faced. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | School Talks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I have given presentations to two schools talking about my research and in particular STEM out reach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Silerbsalz Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk about the research into decentralised wastewater treatment systems and their applciation in rural communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | To fight the fatbergs we have to rethink how we treat sewage waste |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article about fatbergs and our current wastewater infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://theconversation.com/to-fight-the-fatbergs-we-have-to-rethink-how-we-treat-sewage-waste-84714 |