Dear Zifu,

It would be very interesting to hear more from you about the outcomes of this project (Reinvent the Toilet Challenge - China Regional Program) which ended in December last year. Oh, I just saw in the SuSanA project database that you got further funding until 2019 under the title of "Reinvent the Toilet China Project: Innovative Toilet Solutions and Commercial Activities": www.susana.org/en/resources/projects/details/411 .

Could you please post here what the main "winning" project ideas were? Perhaps links to further information in English or Chinese? Also any important lessons worked on what didn't work?

I came back to this thread because a new project on Reinvented Toilets in China was recently posted here on the Forum:
forum.susana.org/170-shared-toilets-comm...systems-infore-china

Does it have anything to do with your project?

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear Arno, sorry for delaying.

To your questions:
1. Yes, the targeted groups are the people of Africa and south Asia.
2. Yes, the selection committee tried to select the proposals which could meet the criteria for RTTC based on the priority of innovative tech., safety, "off the grid", economic aspect, etc.
3. It is planned that some of prototypes will be tested and demonstrated in Africa at the end of this year.

Best greetings

Zifu

Thanks Zifu for the update. A couple of questions:

1. Will there be any Chinese projects linked to Africa and other Asian countries as was originally proposed?

2. Will the original criteria for the reinvent the toilet challenge be strictly followed? That is from www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Globa...the-Toilet-Challenge

a. Removes germs from human waste and recovers valuable resources such as energy, clean water, and nutrients.

b. Operates “off the grid” without connections to water, sewer, or electrical lines.

c. Costs less than US$.05 cents per user per day.

d. Promotes sustainable and financially profitable sanitation services and businesses that operate in poor, urban settings.

e. Is a truly aspirational next-generation product that everyone will want to use in developed as well as developing nations.

Regards

For people interested in this ongoing research work in China, I wanted to point out that the project's Chinese website is more detailed than its English website.

Some technical details are provided on this page:
www.rttc-china.org/competition/Introduction_cy1.html

I ran Google Translate over the page and got the following information (aren't we lucky to have Google Translate nowadays even though it is far from perfect yet! - the translation below at least gives a general idea of what this is all about):

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The first round of outstanding programs
Excellent Innovation Programme Overview (in alphabetical order)

1, the program name: High MFC-MEC-ABR Reactor Construction and Operation stool Blackwater process optimization

Lead Unit: Shanghai University
Participation: Suzhou Germany and the ecological environment Technology Co., Ltd. Shanghai Hai Ting Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd.
About the program:
Associate Professor Liu Hongbo Shanghai University responsible for the "efficient MFC-MEC-ABR Reactor stool Blackwater workers
Construction and operation optimization Arts "project, aimed at developing a set covering the province, pollution processing load is high, the sludge (fecal residue) a small amount of
Efficient low bioreactor, so the urine Blackwater to promote efficient use of resources. (Figure 1 below) reactor tired
Oxygen tank baffle (ABR) as the main body, the introduction of microbial electrochemical coupling reaction apparatus (MFC-MEC), through microbial electrochemical
Learn coupling mechanism to promote microbial activity, improve reactor volume efficiency and energy recovery efficiency and reduce the residual sludge reactor
(Fecal residue) emissions.



2, the program name: In forward osmosis technology as the core of the new waste water treatment system resources

Lead Unit: Tsinghua University
Participation Units: Tsinghua University, Institute of Chemistry, Wan if (Beijing) Environmental Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.
About the program:
Tsinghua University Professor Zhou Lvfu by the responsible Professor Wang Chengwen as a major participant in the "forward osmosis technology to nuclear
Heart of the new waste water treatment system resources "is intended for the use of forward osmosis concentrate reductions core technology, follow-up
Harmless and resource processing, the output value of fertilizer and clean water. Sought in the absence of external power grid intervention
, The realization of the entire energy supply system, water recycling toilet system and achieve the green state of health of the program
Providing positive penetrate the core of the two techniques were applied to toilets and household sanitation systems. At the core of
Two techniques were applied to toilets and household sanitation systems.



3, the program name: oil-based raw material preparation device source separation stool

Lead: Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Participating units: Renmin University of China Beijing Science and Technology Co., Ltd. Ching red and blue
About the program:
Wang Huan from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology liter assistant researcher in charge, Professor Zhang Jinglai Renmin University of China as a major participant
The "stool-based bio-oil production apparatus source separation" project aims to develop new environmentally friendly toilet facilities, and strive to resolve transfer
EC flush toilets and water resource conservation conflict, to achieve free water and feces harmless, resource. By combining avoid blisters
Mo urine diversion toilet and traditional ecological toilet, improve health and senses, providing proper sanitation; pass
Separation can be achieved through waste recycling, biomass waste into oil after separation, after the separation of urine is stored as organic agriculture
Liquid fertilizer. For the type of public toilets, public toilets and on-site processing to achieve integration processing mode. For communities, apartment style
Type indoor toilet, rapid development of sound processing and re-focus the energy of the conversion processing mode. The project will attempt to biomass oil
The use of combined wind and solar energy to achieve energy self-sufficiency and reduce operating costs.



4, scheme name: Community manure and fertilizer collection of closed - flush toilets gas-based health system

Lead Unit: ten thousand if (Beijing) Environmental Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.
Participation unit: Tsinghua University, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
About the program:
If the ten thousand (Beijing) Environmental Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. Chairman Dr. Zhang Jian responsible for innovative projects aimed at research
Send "gas flush the toilet system." Gas flushing toilets is a use of liquidity and lubrication of urine, feces using ambient air punch
The new toilet urine. The toilet by a low voltage motor drive, power consumption is much lower than conventional water-flush toilets; no flush toilet both advantages
Health performance and comfort flush toilet, a small amount of water only when necessary, to be cleaning; special diaphragm valve seal, closed odorless. collect
The resulting high concentration of manure, straw and other organic materials can be used with mixed biological drying, to obtain the full nutrition part organic fertilizer. In the air
Under rooms and environmental conditions permit, the biological oxygen ventilation drying apparatus to cancel and extend the residence time of the reaction, as
Anaerobic reactor used to obtain biogas energy. Solar power system equipment can be used, it can also make use of the existing electricity
Network, or to obtain biogas to generate electricity. Sources reduce the total amount Blackwater system, a high degree of resources, little impact on the environment ,
It can be used for a variety of household toilets and toilet. Under water, comfort, energy saving, economical premise, to address the high concentration of waste collection and
solving issues.



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It may seem a bit "high tech" (this is also my first reaction) but let's keep in mind that this is for the Chinese market, and perhaps not necessarily for very poor people. Mind you, the project description also mentions African countries so I'd be curious to know which African countries and which segment of society these innovations are geared towards?

Regarding high tech devices, a mobile phone is also high tech and yet it has become a cherished possession for so many poor households. How come? I guess it's because it requires no maintenance by the user, except for charging it, and it provides such an excellent service (communication, banking, access to information) that people won't forget to charge their mobile phones regularly. Users never have to look at the inside of their mobile phone, so it doesn't matter how complex it is inside.

Whether something equivalent could ever be achieved for a novel toilet + sanitation system, I don't know. But if it did, it would be fabolous!
Related threads about this topic of "high tech for developing countries sanitation issues" are also available here:
forum.susana.org/forum/categories/139-in...attle-in-august-2012
and here:
forum.susana.org/forum/categories/139-in...ess-grand-challenges

It would be nice to find out more about these Chinese research projects, if possible.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear all,
Below you can find the word doc about brief introduction to RTTC China.
Best greetings
Zifu 

Professor Zifu Li
University of Science and Technology Beijing

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Title of grant: Reinvent the Toilet Challenge (RTTC) - China Regional Program

• Name of lead organization: University of Science and Technology Beijing
• Primary contact at lead organization: Professor Zifu Li
• Grantee location: Beijing, PR China
• Developing country where the research is being or will be tested: African and South Asia countries
• Start and end date: 1 Nov 2013 to 31 Dec 2016
• Grant type: Reinvent the Toilet Challenge
• Grant size in USD: $ 5,023,660 (as per grant database here )

Short description of the project:

Reinvent The Toilet Challenge China (RTTC-China) is funded and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. University of Science and Technology Beijing team is responsible for the organization and implementation of all the activities for this event. Toilet Technology R&D biddings and Toilet Innovation Concept Contest by university students are included in this event.

Toilet Technology R&D biddings intends to attract exceptionally high-qualified Chinese consortia in 1st round and consortia in which foreign institutions could also be invited in 2nd round as a network of partners or teams from for-profit and not-for profit organizations, universities as well as top industrial design institutes and prototyping companies that can contribute to the advancement of sanitation research and development.

The RTTC-China targets to design, prototype and test entirely stand-alone, self-contained, practical sanitation modules which intake bodily wastes or fecal sludge collected from pit latrines and septic tanks and swiftly dispose of them without any incoming water piping, outgoing sewer piping, or electricity or gas utility services. The candidates will be supported by the Foundation to design, develop, prototype and test their innovations.

The initial idea and pragmatic work of Toilet Innovation Concept Contest by university students is to offer more opportunities to young students and inspire their creativity. There would be chance to make further research together with interested companies/institutes for those ideas which are selected.


Goal:

The goal of this grant is to improve the health and environmental status of poor communities in African and South Asian countries as well as in China through introduction, adaptation and adoption of sanitation innovations at scale


Objectives:

1. To mobilize and engage leading R&D organizations in China;
2. To promote RTTC solutions that meet communities needs in African and South Asian countries as well as in China;
3. To develop a business plan for BMGF and China Government for co-investing in adoption and promotion of sanitation innovation.

Research or implementation organizations:
1. Tsinghua University (including two projects)
2. EnviroSystems Engineering & Technology Co., Ltd.
3. University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
4. Beijing University of Chemical Technology
5. Kunming Huiyun Luminous Engineering Co., Ltd.
6. China Agricultural University
7. China University of Geosciences
8. Dalian Jinshui Cleaning Equipment Factory
9. Hunan Hyso Environmental Biotechnology Co., Ltd

Links, further readings – results to date:

Project website:
Chinese version: www.rttc-China.org (note: the Chinese version of the website contains more information than the English version; you can use Google Translate to translate the page; this page contains technical information about the projects: www.rttc-china.org/competition/Introduction_cy1.html)

English version: www.rttc-china.org/en/

Current state of affairs:

Toilet Technology R&D biddings totally funded 10 projects by two rounds of bidding, each had five projects. The five projected funded by first round are almost finished and all of them are under site testing, and the next step is to evaluate economic and technic value for further scaling-up application. The other five projects funded by second round started from 09/2015, till now, they are still under a prototyping investigation (www.rttc-china.org/competition/Download.html).

The initial idea and pragmatic work of Toilet Innovation Concept Contest is closed for proposal and the evaluation for all the proposals is supposed to be finished before Feb. 2016.


Biggest successes so far:

Till now, ten projects have been implemented, and half of them are under prototype site testing in China, the primary results show that all the systems work well in terms of technical functions.


Main challenges / frustration:

Because first-round projects are still under prototyping on-site testing, the main challenge may be the transition from research work to product commercialization in future.


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A somewhat similar program is the RTTC India Program. You can find out more about it here:
www.susana.org/en/resources/projects?sea...m+for+joint+projects