Hello Sanitation Network! We are really glad this network is here to share ideas and talk toilets. For starters I wanted to share with you a short list of toilet and biogas books. We’ve focused this list on resources that are accessible and fun. We’ve shared it in doc format, hoping that others will be inspired too to add their fave books, share and upload new versions. We’d also like people to add more topic areas you think are relevant. Just for fun, we added a page on toilet quotations. Come to think of it, a list of web links would be a good addition. So, we’ll check back soon.

Here’s a link to download the doc (below).

Loowatt, our company, is working on setting up a pilot system in Madagascar for a toilet system we’ve tested extensively in London. Our toilets work well, and they’ve been in use for over a year now. At the moment we are using anaerobic digestion as a way of creating value from the toilets, and they’ll work with lots of other types of post-treatment too. We are on the lookout for collaborators interested in building systems with us. Check out our website – www.loowatt.com and drop us a line if you like.

Hi,
I am Virginia Gardiner, the founder and CEO of Loowatt Ltd., a company in the UK.

Here comes another grant that has something to do with biogas (we have had a few of them lately here on this forum).



Title of grant: An Energy-Producing Waterless Toilet System
Subtitle: Loowatt Ltd. has designed and implemented a waterless toilet system that is linked to anaerobic digestion and fertilizer production systems in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Name of lead organization: Loowatt Ltd.
Primary contact at lead organization: Virginia Gardiner
Grantee location: London, UK and Antananarivo, Madagascar
Developing country where the research is being or will be tested: Madagascar

Short description of the project:
Loowatt received GCE Phase 1 funding in 2011 to implement the Antananarivo Pilot. The system began to serve paying customers in late 2012.

Goal(s):
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 extensively, first in the company’s UK office, and then in a London community. Loowatt implemented a pilot system including a toilet, anaerobic digester, and fertilizer production facility in Antananarivo, Madagascar, which has now been serving paying toilet and energy customers, and producing compost, since November 2012. All system components were designed and fully specified by Loowatt Ltd. Additional local support was provided by Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor. Loowatt’s unique technology has applications in many parts of the world and the company is looking to expand its operations in 2013.

Objectives: Loowatt Ltd.’s objective is to produce commodity-generating, clean, and intelligent waterless toilet systems.

Start and end date: Start May 2011; End: Oct 2012 (edit on 23 January 2014: Phase 2 funding started Aug. 2013 for a period of 2 years, with USD 1 million)

Grant type: GCE Round 6 (USD 100,00)

Our website: www.loowatt.com

Documents in SuSanA library: www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/1744
(includes presentation and paper at FSM-2 Conference)

Video of Iain Purves giving his presentation about this project at the FSM-2 Conference:


Questions or comments from this community?

Regards,

Virginia

Hi Virginia !

This is Mwaniki and am associated with the Africa Water,Sanitation & Hygiene magazine.We have both soft and hard copies; the latest online copy may be downloaded at www.afriwater.org/publications . The hard copy is free and is never sold so that no one is denied access to information in line with our efforts for the realization of MDG7 on water & sanitation.

We have a page for publications and if you don't mind your list of toilet books may appear in our next edition without charge for the benefit of thousands of our readers.

Where would one place an order if need be? Could you also quote the prices?

Comments please

Regards

Mwaniki

Hi Virginia

Thanks for the permission to list your books in the Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. As you may know this is not for profit publication, we can only send 1 hard copies for your archives par avion.

Thanking you

Steven

Hi Virginia,

many thanks for sharing this interesting project. I have a couple of questions regarding to your work.

I am curious if there is odor due to serving a waterless system. If yes, does it affect the attraction of the users?

Also, with the gas production, how much of their current cooking fuel (wood?) can be replaced?

Thank you in advance.

Gökce

Dear Gökce,

Thanks for getting in touch with your questions.

You will find general information about our system on our website at www.loowatt.com .

Further details about the Tana facility, including its configuration and gas uses are at www.susana.org/docs_ccbk/susana_download/2-1624-purves.pdf , and additional information will be forthcoming as we process data from ongoing toilet and energy product use. To date, we have not encountered any physical problems (odor or scenery).

We would appreciate if you visit our web site, where there is a facility for specific questions including FAQs: www.loowatt.com/contact

Thanks again for your interest in our work.

All the best,

The Loowatt Team

London-based Loowatt Ltd. has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation to expand its pioneering waterless toilet systems in Madagascar and Sub-Saharan
Africa.

We are immensely grateful for the Foundation’s support and confidence in us. This grant creates a
springboard for global impact, preparing Loowatt to deliver clean and profitable sanitation to millions
of customers in Madagascar, and elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, and eventually the rest of the
world.

For more information, please see our blog entry www.loowatt.com/news/1-million-grant-fro...da-gates-foundation/

Attached is a pdf press release.

Hi Virginia,

thanks a lot for sharing all these links. Happily, I already found the answers from the links as follows:

How the Lowatt toilet functions:

The Loowatt toilet is completely waterless by utilizing a unique patent-protected mechanical sealing unit to contain human waste within biodegradable film. The waste is then stored in a cartridge beneath the toilet, for periodic emptying, which can be weekly or daily, depending upon the levels of usage and capacity.

As an answer to my first question, it is really great that the Loowatt toilet has a unique odor-inhibiting system. As it is written, the efficient and odorless toilet provides visitors a pleasant experience compared with exiting products.

However, I could not find an answer for my second question "with the gas production, how much of their current cooking fuel (wood?) can be replaced?" It would be great if you can enlighten me.

Wish you success in your project.

Regards,

Gökce

Loowatt: Waterless Toilet Systems That Generate Energy!

Part 2/2 (***NEW***)


Loowatt commissioned a 2-part documentary to record our work in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar. This link is Part 2/2. The documentary shows the development of our pilot system, and the impact it will make in the lives of residents and businesses in this African capital. Our film crew, who are Malagasy (born in Madagascar) themselves, spent two months interviewing residents of FAAMI, a neighbourhood deprived of sanitation where our first pilot is being built.

For more on information, please visit our website: www.loowatt.com

Missed Part 1/2? Watch it here:

Loowatt's Autumn 2013 newsletter is out!
Read it here .

Also, Loowatt is delighted to be shortlisted as one of the Top 100 Small Businesses in the UK. We are in the Biggest Social Impact category. We need your vote to win the award! The deadline for voting is November 1st, 2013.

Click here to vote now!

Thank you for your continuous support!

I had the privilege of speaking at the TEDxSouthwark conference in London on the issue of human wastes and Loowatt's innovative technology. Check it out here:


TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together professionals from Technology, Entertainment and Design.

+++++++++++++++

I have compiled here a list of TEDTalks regarding sanitation services. Hope you enjoy it!

Mr. Toilet Jack Sim’s TEDxTaipei talk


Rose George: Let's talk crap. Seriously.


Arunachalam Muruganantham: How I started a sanitary napkin revolution!


Ludwick Marishane: A bath without water



Do you have a favourite video? Did I miss an awesome video? Let me know.

http://www.loowatt.com/news/reinvent-the-toilet-fair-india/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AT LONDON

Loowatt Selected as an Exhibitor for the Reinvent the Toilet Fair: India
Fair to Showcase Advancements that Improve Sanitation and Health


LONDON, UK – LOOWATT LTD. announced today that they will be an exhibitor at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair: India event which will be co-hosted by the Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in March 2014. Loowatt Ltd. will showcase energy-generating waterless toilet technology that aims to help bring sanitation to those who need it most. The fair is also supported by the Indian Ministry of Urban Development.

The Reinvent the Toilet Fair: India aims to stimulate discussion and spur partnerships to improve global sanitation and bring affordable sanitation solutions to people who need it most. The fair is also an opportunity to recognize India’s leadership and commitment to improving child health and fostering innovative solutions to persistent development challenges.



Loowatt Ltd.’s project is one of approximately 50 exhibits that will be on display during the two-day fair. Loowatt’s waterless toilet system harnesses value from human waste by producing energy and fertilizer. The patented toilet packages human waste in a biodegradable lining material, which is then transported to an anaerobic digester for energy generation. The toilet on display at the fair is the new Loowatt Tsiky Toilet, which is stylish, lightweight and highly customizable. With easy transport and simple installation, the durable Tsiky Toilet is suitable for densely populated urban areas. This particular toilet is customized with an electric button flush and a white outer shell.



In addition, Loowatt is introducing the new Loowatt Event System, a mobile system designed primarily for festivals and events. The environmentally friendly system provides off grid toilets and human-waste-derived energy with rapid setup and removal. The Loowatt Event System will be unveiled in summer 2014 in the UK. This project is accomplished with support from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board.

“Of the 1.1 billion people who defecate in the open, almost 60 percent are Indian,” said Professor K. VijayRaghavan, secretary of the Indian Department of Biotechnology. “Sanitation solutions using the latest technology need not be complex or driven by expensive gadgetry, but they need to be innovative and address the many aspects of this multifaceted problem.”

“Today, because of a lack of toilets and poorly functioning infrastructure, massive amounts of untreated waste winds up in the environment, spreading disease,” said Brian Arbogast, director of the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We are privileged to host the Reinvent the Toilet Fair: India with our partners to advance conversations about sanitation – it is a testament to the Indian government’s commitment to improving how we deal with this pressing problem.”

Note: attendance at the fair is by invitation only. No further invitations will be extended.

Media Contact:
Kaitlin Zhang
Communications Manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+44 (0)20 8671 2366

###