Dear Benny,

Thank you so much for your motivational message. This might be the most positive message, including understanding of the matter and opening of doors, I ever received. I am fully available to you for cooperation in Zambia (independent of my own project).

In whatever form or fashion this could be started, even if it is for educational purposes only, it will be of great benefit to the people. This is my stated intend of EEDI, or Everything needed for Everybody, Directly and Indefinitely – apart from business generation, money making, independent from foreign investors, contracts or influence. Just direct empowerment to solve the water-soil-forest-food-energy challenges to reduce the unnecessary suffering of the people, especially children.

You have my contacts,website and access to Befree Thinktank (for Zambia) on my profile here.

Yes, the strategy of using barrel-like BSTs (Biodegradable septic tanks) can be adopted to any location in Zambia. It is designed for a school with subsistence farming and just as well applicable for informal settlements, small-holder farms or any other property that has the space for it. The ring of trees around it is necessary.
If biogas should be harnessed, like for the boarding school that I have planned, the system is more complex (as you know), but still practical in the Zambian context (and that is without the handling of sludge, as it is the case with such systems. I do not find those solutions appropriate at all).

Many different biodegradable materials work. Timbers, fiber-boards, earth-bricks with root reinforcement or casing (I am specialized on the use of Banyan tree roots, branches and aerial roots for structural purposes). But in any case, Bamboo should
be planted and used in as many locations as possible. There are many miracle trees and plants that can literally save Zambia, stop deforestation, decontaminate soil, groundwater and the atmosphere in Zambia. But Bamboo is one of the best. There needs to be a Bamboo economy in Zambia as soon as possible. Same with Paulownia, that is why I mentioned those trees.

I have not thought about uploading videos or blueprints. Videos about barrel construction and charring are already available. All blueprints and documents that are not available (in proper quality on the internet) yet, or innovations of mine are on the
various Befree Think-tank sites, hosted on Vk, and Research Gate. For BSTs only about the particular tree-ring on Vk. Everything I publish there is simple English and as simple and short as possible, so that it can be used for educational purposed in school.

I am open for the specific cooperation that you mention and am ready to guide you through the simple steps of practically setting it up.

Cheers
Nico

Hello Nico,

This concept is honestly brilliant!  A biodegradable septic system built from local materials like Paulownia and Bamboo? It’s exactly the kind of low-cost, high-impact solution places like rural Zambia need, especially where traditional systems just don’t work.

I’m based in Zambia, and this really got me thinking. Could this model be adapted for informal settlements or schools in other districts? Especially where materials like Bamboo might not be readily available, are there alternatives that could still work? Also, the charring method for waterproofing is fascinating. Would love to see how that’s done. A short demo or visual guide could make this easier to share with artisans or youth groups eager to learn and build.

The fact that it's open-source is gold. Have you thought about uploading basic blueprints or even short videos? Something simple that local CSOs or student innovators can pick up and try? If you’re open to it, I’d love to explore some collaboration, whether it’s testing this out locally, linking with university students, or co-hosting a mini-build session. Even just tracking its impact could be valuable for others looking to replicate it.

And lastly, major kudos for thinking long-term. A system that works for decades with almost no maintenance? That’s the kind of thinking we need more of. Let me know how we can connect or support this it’s a big step forward for sustainable sanitation in Africa.

Regards 
Benny

I am sharing information about a novel biodegradable septic tank system.
It is a significant innovation for micro waste-water treatment. In this case for 5 adolescents.

My company is planning a boarding school in Kasama, Zambia which requires the
best possible waste-water treatment. It must be as cheap as possible, as
practical, reliable and multi-functional as possible.
As construction engineer, I have never been satisfied with current solutions
for underground septic tanks because they are too resource intensive, in
production and construction, to be an option for large parts of the population
in Zambia. They are too heavy on maintenance and they require removal of sludge
(there is no access for de-sludging trucks to the remote area of the school,
neither on the campus itself which is a super-dense tropical wilderness park
without roads).

Therefore, I will establish a company that will build simplified barrel-like timber
containments on-site. The barrels will be built from Paulownia wood and Bamboo,
cultivated on the premises of the campus. Traditional charring is used for
water-proofing of the barrels. The barrels of the anaerobic stage will be full
after 4 years and start decaying after 5 years or more. They will not have to
be emptied, or removed. The sludge will dehydrate while finishing decomposition
and be fully engulfed by roots right in place. Barrels of the aerobic stage
will be built to last longer.
The location for the barrels is on top of a 2m high earthen mount inside a close ring of trees, not
visible from the outside. The soil below the treatment system provides about
1000 cubic meters of roots. The space inside the ring of Banyan trees, which
grow for many centuries, is more than 100 cubic meters. Therefore, the system
can be operated for several hundred years, considering the minimized volume of
the sludge after full de-composition and de-hydration.
A central barrel for the final clarification stage might be built with the hard-woods available to
make it last much longer. I plan to use hard-wood nails for the soft Paulownia
wood and charred Bamboo pipes for the conducts.
 
The further development of this new faecal sludge management system is open-source. Please copy,
patent, or do with it what you want. Collaboration, investment or partnerships
are welcome as well. The eye is on the goal to provide what the children need,
nothing else.