Reinvented Toilet System - Operational Machine Needed for Universal Sanitation (OMNUS)

Purpose

To fund engineering, fabrication and testing of a prototype technology that provides impact to clean water and sanitation shortages

Activities

During the project Three Bird Swan Consulting Group will concept, design, fabricate and test a communal toilet facility that operates without outside power or water input. The goal is to provide a safe and user-friendly facility that allows for increased sanitation benefit to those most in need globally. It could be combined with a low flush squat plate.

Currently we are in the later stages of build and commissioning.

Our most significant successes to date are to evolving the design into a package that fits into a small area within our designated process area, having success in the user interface design allowing the space to be handicapped accessible and finding a design alternative that reduced our process liquid treatment demand by 30% while not compromising user area or process area integrity.

The challenges thus far have been odor control and energy balance of the process equipment.

Countries of activity

Location of main activity

Objectives

Our project goals are to provide an effective process that accepts mixed user content and reclaims potential fuel and water for reuse in subsequent processing while achieving a desired usability for the front-end user interface.

Our grant window objectives are to package the initially designed Three Bird Swan Consulting Group process technology into a highly functional toilet system for communal usage.

Further information

Research or implementation partners:
Duke University
Swansea University
Cranfield University
S. Jackson Welding

Grantee location: Newburgh, Indiana USA

Developing country where the research is being or will be tested: South Africa

This is a Reinvent the Toilet Challenge grant.

Filter tags

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Community sanitation Fundamental research and engineering Global North America Private sector, including social enterprises Product design and engineering Sub-Saharan Africa Treatment of wastewater or greywater

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