Veolia Water Technologies by GineersNow Engineering Magazine GineersNow Engineering Magazine September 2016 | Page 76

System configuration
A waterless self-contained toilet
for private household of 10
people
Urine processing
1. Weir channel
Faeces processing
Urine will pass over the weir
and into the channel where
it will warm up around the
exhaust of the gasifier
1. Archimedes
screw
Removes solid waste from
holding after settling period
2. Membrane
bundle
The urine will pass into the
membrane chamber and
pure water will pass out of
the hollow membrane fibres
2. Drier pelletizer
Reduces moisture con-
tent of the solid waste
before dosing the fuel
into the gasifier below
3. Gasifier
4. Reservoir
Burns the faeces to pro-
duce the energy for the
system
CRANFIELD
UNIVERSITY:
REINVENTING
THE TOILET
Treating human waste without the need
for external energy or water
The pathogen free water will be
stored ready for either use around
the home or easy disposal by the
home owner
A research team in Cranfield
University is developing the
Nano Membrane Toilet, a
toilet that can treat human
water onsite without external
energy or water. This toilet is
being developed in response
to the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation's Reinvent the
Toilet Challenge.
GineersNow conducted an
exclusive interview with Dr
Alison Parker, a member of
the team developing the
Nano Membrane Toilet.
Dr Parker has been working
on sanitation research for
eight years, and her role
within the team is to ensure
that the potential users’ views
are represented and that the
Nano Membrane Toilet will be
accepted by their target users.
THE COMPANY
GN: Tell
company.
76
SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Water Technologies
3. Heat exchanger
us about
Describe
your
your
The water vapour will
condense to liquid and fall
to the bottom
mission, vision and values,
where this company is headed
and what are your future
expansion plans?
Dr Parker: Our team works
at Cranfield University in
one of its four schools – the
School of Water, Energy and
Environment (SWEE). The
team has 21 members, a
mix of research students,
research staff and senior
academic advisors. We are
all based at the Cranfield
campus in Bedfordshire in
the UK. The team’s vision is
to develop and test the Nano
Membrane Toilet and see it
commercialized so that the
number of people who do not
have access to a toilet at all is
reduced. Our target market
is people living in dense
urban areas where providing
other forms of sanitation is
challenging.
INTRODUCTION
GN: How does your company