The Pollution Research Group in the School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) is a recipient of funds for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge (RTTC). This is an international initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to redesign the way in which sanitation is approached where existing waste-water treatment is at capacity or does not exist. The multi-million dollar project is designed to provide low cost sanitation for the 2.6 billion people worldwide who do not currently have access to water based sewerage. The University of KwaZulu-Natal has been selected to provide the majority of the analytical design data for such systems (currently there is little or no literature available) to other partners under the RTTC. The MScEng projects will provide valuable outputs towards this important goal.

The concept behind this international Gates Foundation funded challenge is to use 21st century Chemical Process Engineering to develop a sanitation system to replace the 19th century technology currently in place. The ideal system will harness the energy obtained from combusting organic material in human excreta to drive the separation of pure water from the waste. While other institutions are developing prototype systems that do not consider the characteristics of the process stream to be treated, UKZN has attracted international attention by taken a needs-based approach to develop and undertake specific methods and analyses of the process streams characteristics.

For more information please refer to the attached document.

The Pollution Research Group has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in order to ... help develop innovative and affordable sanitation technologies for the developing world....

Aim: A Study of the physical and chemical properties of excreta streams from dry on-site and decentralized low-water consuming sanitation systems.

Duration: 15 month

Positions Available:


Post Doctoral Fellow:

• Engineer with expertise in thermal or membrane processes

MScEng Students in the following areas:

• Rheology;
• Drying;
• Combustion;
• Membrane processing;
• Vapour / liquid equilibrium;
• Excreta surveys

The ability to travel to Southern African countries would be an advantage as would a valid driving licence.

The applicants must be prepared to sample and work with all types of excreta streams.

For further information please contact

Chris Buckley / Susan Mercer
Pollution Research Group
University of KwaZulu-Natal
DURBAN
4041
South Africa

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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