I am posting here a description of a new grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which was sent to me by Michael Luettgen from Kohler in the US who leads this project.

Title of grant: Kohler design project for engineering prototypes of a toilet with the Caltech processor

• Name of lead organization: Kohler Co. ( www.kohler.com/corporate/index.html )
• Primary contact at lead organization: Michael Luettgen, Sr. Principal Engineer, Applied Technology
• Grantee location: Kohler, Wisconsin, USA
• Developing country where the research is being or will be tested: India
• Start and end date: Nov 3, 2014 – Oct 31, 2016
• Grant type: connected to Reinvent the Toilet Challenge grants
• Grant size in USD: $2,140,656 (as per BMGF grant database here )

Short description of the project:
This project will design and fabricate five identical closed loop flush toilet systems, for field testing in developing world locations without adequate sanitation. With “closed loop” we mean that there will be no wastewater. All wastewater is treated and reused for toilet flushing with treated water occasionally being bled off to keep the system operating at the proper water levels.

Goal: to design and fabricate closed loop flush toilet systems for field testing in developing world locations without adequate sanitation

Objectives: Same as goal

Research or implementation partners:

• RTI International: is taking responsibility for test site acquisition and preparation, as well as test system monitoring. See also here: www.susana.org/en/resources/projects?sea...h+Triangle+Institute
• Caltech: developed the base technology and assisted in the implementation of that technology into the test system design. See also here: www.susana.org/en/resources/projects?search=caltech

Links, further readings – results to date:
Link to our website on product innovation: www.corporate.kohler.com/product-innovat...nnovation-navigation

Current state of affairs:
Construction of the five closed loop wastewater treatments systems is nearly complete.

Biggest successes so far: too early to say
Main challenges / frustration: too early to say