Archive
1st International Terra Preta Sanitation Conference Aug 2013
Location:Hamburg University of Technology. The campus is located in Hamburg-Harburg.
Dates: Wednesday, 28 - Saturday 31 August 2013
Background
…An analysis of a former civilisation in the Amazon, nowadays Brazil, reveals concepts which enable a highly efficient handling of organic wastes. Terra Preta do Indio is the anthropogenic black soil that was produced by ancient cultures through the conversion of biowaste and faecal matter into long-term fertile soils. These soils have maintained high amounts of organic carbon even several thousand years after they were abandoned. It was recently discovered that around 10% of the originally infertile soils in the Amazon region was converted this way from around 7,000 until 500 years ago. Due to the accumulation of charred biomass and other organic residues, terra preta subsequently formed giving it a deep, distinctly dark and highly fertile soil layer.One of the surprising facts is that this soil is highly productive without adding fertiliser.
Recent research concludes that this culture had a superior sanitation and bio-waste system that was based on source separation of faecal matter, urine and clever additives particularly charcoal dust and treatment steps for the solids resulting in high yielding gardening. Additives included ground charcoal dust while the treatment and smell prevention started with anaerobic lactic-acid fermentation followed by vermicomposting.The generation of new Terra Preta (‘terra preta nova’) based on the safe treatment of human waste could be the basis for sustainable agriculture in the twenty-first century to produce food for billions of people….
Speakers / Sessions
Thursday
Conference Keynote Dr. Haiko Pieplow (tbc)
Session 1: TP soils, soil fertility, organic farming
Key note from Bruno Glaser or Albrecht von Sydow (Germany) (tbc)
- T. Theuretzbacher (Austria): Investigation on Terra Preta like products on the german-Austrian market
- N. Andreev (Moldava): The effect of terra preta like substrate on germination and shoot growth of radish and parsley
- H. Factura (Philippines): Addressing Poor Sanitation and Generating Added Values through Terra Preta Sanitation
- B. Pelivanoski (Germany): Terra Pellet – an organic fertilizer inspired by terra preta
Session 2: TPS Applications, Quality of products, hygienic parameter, legislation, certification
Keynote presentation Prof. Srikanth Mutnuri (India) (tbc): Terra Preta as an Alternative for the Management of Sludge from Waste Water Treatment Plant
- S. Böttger (Germany): Terra Preta – production from sewage sludges of decentralised wastewater systems
- M. Stöckl (Germany): Vermicomposting of fecal matter and organic waste – a quality assessment of products
- D. Meier Kohlstock (Germany): The integration of Terra Preta Sanitation in European nutrient cycles – Options for alternative policies and economies
Session 3: Terra Preta Sanitation: toilet systems and designs / Logistic and operation / practical examples
Keynote speech Prof. Charlotte de Fraiture (Netherlands) (tbc)
- R. Wagner (Germany): New challenges of resource management in the Botanic Garden Berlin by producing and applying biochar substrates
- R. Kuipers (Netherlands): A socio-economic assessment of urine separation, with a reflection on the possibilities for Terra Preta Sanitation, for the recycling of nutrients to rural agriculture in the Philippines
- M. Bulbo (Ethiopia): TP application in Ethiopia
- R. Wolf (Germany): Application of Fermented Urine for build up of Terra Preta Humus in a Permaculture Park and Social Impact on the Community Involved
Friday
Session 4: Carbon composting of biowaste and excreta/Climate farming / wood gas technology for energy and char coal production / Pyrolysis vs. hydrothermal carbonization
Keynote presentation Prof. Zifu Li (China) (tbc): Energy balance analysis on the pyrolysis process of animal manure
T. Voss (Germany): Wood gasification in parallel flow fixbed gasifieres for combined energy and charcoal production – experiences from six years of operation (abstact follows)
- C. vom Eyser (Germany): Product quality of ç from sewage sludge in terms of micropollutants
- E. Someus (Sweden): Reducing mineral fertilisers and chemicals use in agriculture by recycling treated organic waste as compost and bio-char products
- J. Fingas (Germany): Climate farming – Practical experience from sub-Saharan Afrika
Session 5: Microbiology, sanitization and lactic acid fermentation
Keynote presentation Dr. Gina Itchon (Philippines): The Effectivity of the Terra Preta Sanitation (TPS) Process in the Elimination of Parasite Eggs in Fecal Matter: A Field Trial of TPS in Mindanao, Philippines
- A. Yemaneh (Germany/Ethiopia): Investigation of Low-Cost Sugar Supplement for Lactic Acid Fermentation of Human Excreta in Terra Preta Sanitation System
- A. Febriana (Indonesia): Faeces Treatment By Lactofermentation Process Based On Terra Preta Sanitation System Concept
- A. Walter (Austria): Microbial communities in charcoal and microbe amended composts
- F. Scheinemann (Germany): Sanitation and conservation of nutrients in cattle manure and sewage sludge by anerobic fermentation
Click here to go to the conference website
Organisation Committee
Institute of Wastewater Management and Water Protection at TUHH
GFEU e. V.
WECF
Co-Organisers
Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics at TUHH
German WASH Network
UNESCO IHE
BDZ
all details are from their site
TEDxAmsterdamWomen Anjali Sarker – Toilet+ overcoming my childhood fear TEDX event
A great presentation by Anjali Sarker of Toilet Plus on their strategy and reasoning for introducing toilets that work based on financial technical sustainable and social criteria. Toilet Plus is in the early phase of it plan.
” DEFECATION! DISEASE! DEATH! In Bangladesh, each year 69000 children die from diarrhea largely because of unhygienic sanitation. 68% of the villagers use unhygienic pit latrines or defecate openly. Though both govt and NGOs are trying to solve this problem, their efforts largely fail because poor villagers- 1)simply lack motivation to change their sanitation behavior or 2)can’t afford the shift to safe sanitation.
TOILET+ /Toilet Plus introduced as A HYGIENIC AND AFFORDABLE SANITATION SOLUTION. It’s a urine diverting dry toilet and is structurally similar to Ecosan. It can recycle 100% waste to produce organic fertilizer and is flood resistant. Toilet+ ($110 value) is made affordable to the villagers through microcredit from partner MFI.
Toilet+ OFFER COLLECTIVE PROFIT & RESPONSIBILITY. Households form cooperatives,apply for microcredit, and become collectively responsible to repay the total monthly installments to MFI. Member households get toilets from Toilet+ and Toilet+ get paid by MFI. Members sell waste (human and other bio-waste) to Toilet+ and Toilet+ convert waste into organic fertilizer for selling to agro firms. By selling waste, a cooperative gets $70 a month (75% of the collective installments) and each household pays only $1.3 out of pocket to repay the collective monthly installments. Members create strong peer pressure on one another to use toilet so that they can repay collective loan easily.
THE MODEL TURNS TO A SELF-SCALABLE AND SELF-SUSTAINABLE SANITATION CHAIN. Cooperatives will continue to earn revenue from sale of waste after repaying the microcredit in 2.25 years. Understanding the high profitability of financing toilets, enthusiastic cooperative members will start lending non-users to purchase Toilet+ just like MFIs. Users will use peer pressure to make other non-users purchase and use Toilet+ with cooperative financing. Thus cooperative will grow and members will earn more revenue from sale of waste from their financed toilets.
Toilet+ IGNITES THE SPARK, COMMUNITY MAKES IT A REVOLUTION. 1)The more a family uses Toilet+, the more it earns 2)Many Cooperatives will finance others’ toilets as a profitable business and thus expand the size of the cooperative. 3)Fewer fatal diseases, cleaner environment, and more income will improve the living standard of community permanently. “
source for quoted content Dell Social Innovation Challenge- Toilets (changed to third person)
About Anjali Sarker from DELL site
Toilet Plus site:
Related articles
-
Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) is the central body to monitor and supervise microfinance operations of non-governmental organizations of the Republic of Bangladesh.
- A Business Model That Will Blow Your Mind & 10 Ways You Can Improve Yours (fireflycoaching.com)
- Canadian-made toilet aims to lay waste to sanitation diseases (ctvnews.ca)
- Toilet Apartheid (counterpunch.org)
- Renewed research call for low-cost sanitation technologies in Bangladesh [deadline18 Feb 2013] (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
- UN deputy chief urges action on water rights (sfgate.com)
- ICDDRB – Update on WASH and hygiene practices (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
- April Rinne, Where Is Microfinance Most Powerfully Linked with Sustainable Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Water and Sanitation to End Poverty and Mitigate Climate Change? (slideshare.net)
- Farmers in Nepal Use Urine to Boost Crop Yields (scientificamerican.com)
1st International IWA Conference on Holistic Sludge Management
6-8 May 2013
Västerås, Sweden
Websites:
http://www.hsm2013.se/
and
http://www.iwahq.org/1qh/events/iwa-events/2013/4.html
The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange the latest developments in sludge management.It will give possibilities to examine and discuss the different challenges connected to resource recovery through treatment and disposal of wastewater sludge.
The conference covers sludge management and anaerobic digestion with a broad holistic system perspective. It includes the recycling of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen by focusing on upstream treatment to reduce harmful substances in wastewater, as well as on the production of biogas as a fuel for vehicles. The certification of treated sludge is another important condition for the possibilities to recycle sludge to farmland areas.
Conference also want to share knowledge, practices and ideas for the future directions of process development. The sludge treatment is one of the key issues to be solved. The aim of the conference is to take a major step forward to where all aspects of sludge management are addressed.
Proposed Themes:
- Production and utilization of biogas
- Nutrient recovery processes
- Processes for hygienization of sludge
- The need for a holistic approach including i.e. environmental effects from sludge handling/management in the total performance efficiency of wastewater treatment
- Use of sludge for energy generation including combustion and supercritical gasification
- Emerging contaminants in sludge – upstream separation and optimization to decrease negative effects by detoxification
- Physical and chemical pre-treatment processes, including chemical conditioning, thickening, dewatering, drying
- Modelling of anaerobic processes
- Methane emission from sludge treatment
Contact:
Erik Dahlquist at erik.dahlquist@mdh.se and Tel. +46-21-151768
Conference Programme Committee Chairman
Monica Odlare at monica.odlare@mdh.se and Tel. +46-21-101611
Conference Programme Committee Secretary
IWA- the global network for water professionals
The International Water Association is a global reference point for water professionals, spanning the continuum between research and practice and covering all facets of the water cycle. Through its network of members and experts in research, practice, regulation, industry, consulting and manufacturing, IWA is in a better position than any other organisation to help water professionals create innovative, pragmatic and sustainable solutions to challenging global needs.
The strength of IWA lies in the professional and geographic diversity of its membership — a global mosaic of national, corporate and individual member communities. Our members are leaders in their field and represent:
- Researchers – where solutions begin
- Utilities – managing water services worldwide
- Consultants – connecting problem owners with solution providers
- Industry – creating sustainable water solutions
- Regulators – safeguarding public health
- Equipment manufacturers – translating ideas into products
The IWA network is structured to promote multi-level collaboration among its diverse membership groups, and to share the benefit of knowledge on water science and management worldwide. The Association helps make the right connections at the right time, thereby sharing cutting-edge research and practice that allows the water sector shape its future.
Links to other great IWA events
all content for this post comes from the IWA sites
Faecal Sludge Management Conference FSM2
International Convention Centre (ICC) Durban 29-31 October 2012
The second conference on developments in Faecal Sludge Management is just around the corner in Durban. We are pleased to share with you the conference themes and to highlight a number of our keynote speakers and paper submissions.
Programme
The excellent response to the call for papers has resulted in a programme featuring speakers from around the globe, confirming that there is much experience and knowledge to be shared in this critical area. The second international Faecal Sludge Management conference will include presentations that fall into the following themes:
- On-site Sanitation as a Business
- Socio-political Aspects of On-site Sanitation
- Toilet Design for FSM Optimisation
- Pit Emptying – What are the Options?
- The How of Faecal Sludge Treatment
- Waste Not Want Not – Beneficial Use of Faecal Sludges Technology and Innovation
- Health Aspects of Faecal Sludges
FSM2 will pick up where FSM 1 (held in Durban in March 2011) left off – with a commitment to capturing and sharing developments in the management and beneficiation of faecal sludges (including urine). This year the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has committed to showcase and present developments in up to 40 of their Sanitation Grand Challenge Projects. For more information on FSM 1 see “What happens when the pit is full?” at http://www.afrisan.org
Presenters
Presenters at FSM2 will share experiences from countries around the world including Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chile, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Sweden, South Africa, the USA, the United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The line-up of keynote speakers includes:
Dr Doulaye Koné – Senior Programme Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The BMGF has committed over $200Million over the next few years to research and advocacy in this field which it has identified as a major area for impacting health in the developing world.
Dr Linda Strande – Programme Leader of Excreta and Wastewater Management, Eawag/Sandec
FSM research overview of Sandec (Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries). EAWAG (The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) is a leader in the FSM field, and manages research projects around the world. The organisation is currently compiling a book on the subject of Faecal Sludge Management.
Steve Sugden – Research Manager, Water for People and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
will look at Sanitation as a Business, drawing on his experiences with the development and transfer of the Gulper technology into commercial businesses – giving valuable insight into the process of taking a technology from concept into the marketplace.
Pam Elardo, Director of the Wastewater Treatment Division in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Seattle, Washington Evolution of a regional wastewater management system: matching decisions to capacity
There will 9 presentations in plenary sessions, 90 presentations in parallel sessions and a closing panel discussion. The speakers and the topics cover a wide range of interest and represent work from all over the globe. The detailed draft programme for the conference can be downloaded from www.pid.co.za .
For more information contact the FSM2 secretariat :
Bobbie Louton on Tel +27 33 342 3012 or email: fsm2@pid.co.za
all content above take from pdf:
http://www.pid.co.za/images/stories/1fsm2_durban_third_announcement.pdf
found on FSM Conference page part of
Partners in Development (Pty) Ltd (PID) site. A site worth looking at even if you don’t go to the conference
Related articles
- Living without sanitary sewers in Latin America (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
- Bill Gates challenges world to reinvent toilet (salon.com)
- IRC research calls on BRAC WASH II Programme (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
Bill Gates Names Winners of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge

Bill Gates with a researcher from California Institute of Technology at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair in Seattle on August 14, 2012. (Photo credit: Gates Foundation)

Bill Gates with a researcher from the University of Toronto at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair (Photo credit: Gates Foundation)
“Next-generation” toilets showcased at Gates Foundation offer innovative sanitation solutions that can save and improve lives around the world
SEATTLE, (August 14, 2012) /PRNewswire/ — Bill Gates today announced the winners of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge—an effort to develop “next-generation” toilets that will deliver safe and sustainable sanitation to the 2.5 billion people worldwide who don’t have it. The awards recognize researchers from leading universities who are developing innovative ways to manage human waste, which will help improve the health and lives of people around the world.
California Institute of Technology in the United States received the $100,000 first prize for designing a solar-powered toilet that generates hydrogen and electricity. Loughborough University in the United Kingdom won the $60,000 second place prize for a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals, and clean water. University of Toronto in Canada won the third place prize of $40,000 for a toilet that sanitizes feces and urine and recovers resources and clean water. Special recognition and $40,000 went to Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) and EOOS for their outstanding design of a toilet user interface.
One year ago, the foundation issued a challenge to universities to design toilets that can capture and process human waste without piped water, sewer or electrical connections, and transform human waste into useful resources, such as energy and water, at an affordable price.
The first, second, and third place winning prototypes were recognized for most closely matching the criteria presented in the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.
Teams are showcasing their prototypes and projects at a two-day event held at the foundation’s headquarters in Seattle on August 14 and 15. The Reinvent the Toilet Fair is bringing together participants from 29 countries, including researchers, designers, investors, advocates, and representatives of the communities who will ultimately adopt these new inventions.
“Innovative solutions change people’s lives for the better,” said foundation Co-chair Bill Gates. “If we apply creative thinking to everyday challenges, such as dealing with human waste, we can fix some of the world’s toughest problems.”
Unsafe methods to capture and treat human waste result in serious health problems and death. Food and water tainted with fecal matter result in 1.5 million child deaths every year. Most of these deaths could be prevented with the introduction of proper sanitation, along with safe drinking water and improved hygiene.
Improving access to sanitation can also bring substantial economic benefits. According to the World Health Organization, improved sanitation delivers up to $9 in social and economic benefits for every $1 invested because it increases productivity, reduces healthcare costs, and prevents illness, disability, and early death.
Other projects featured at the fair include better ways to empty latrines, user-centered designs for public toilet facilities, and insect-based latrines that decompose feces faster.
“Imagine what’s possible if we continue to collaborate, stimulate new investment in this sector, and apply our ingenuity in the years ahead,” said Gates. “Many of these innovations will not only revolutionize sanitation in the developing world, but also help transform our dependence on traditional flush toilets in wealthy nations.”
Gates added: “All the participants are united by a common desire to create a better world – a world where no child dies needlessly from a lack of safe sanitation and where all people can live healthy, dignified lives.”
The Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WSH) initiative is part of the foundation’s Global Development Program, which addresses issues such as agricultural development and financial services—problems that affect the world’s poorest people but do not receive adequate attention. WSH has committed more than $370 million to this area, with a focus on developing sustainable sanitation services that work for everyone, including the poor.
The foundation also announced a second round of Reinvent the Toilet Challenge grants totaling nearly $3.4 million. The grants were awarded to: Cranfield University (United Kingdom); Eram Scientific Solutions Private Limited (India); Research Triangle Institute (United States); and the University of Colorado Boulder (United States).
###
Editor’s Notes:
Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round 2 Winners
Cranfield University
This nearly $810,000 grant will help develop a prototype toilet that removes water from human waste and vaporizes it using a hand-operated vacuum pump and a unique membrane system. The remaining solids are turned into fuel that can also be used as fertilizer. The water vapor is condensed and can be used for washing, or irrigation.
Contact: Fiona Siebrits/ +44 (0) 1234 758040 / f.c.siebrits@cranfield.ac.uk
Eram Scientific Solutions Private Limited
A grant of more than $450,000 will make public toilets more accessible to the urban poor via the eco-friendly and hygienic “eToilet.”
Contact: Miss Ria John / +0471 4062125 / riajohn@eramscientific.com
Research Triangle Institute
This $1.3 million grant will fund the development of a self-contained toilet system that disinfects liquid waste and turns solid waste into fuel or electricity through a revolutionary new biomass energy conversion unit.
Contact: Lisa Bistreich-Wolfe / +1 919.316.3596 / lbistreich@rti.org
Universcity of Colorado Boulder
A nearly $780,000 grant will help develop a solar toilet that uses concentrated sunlight, directed and focused with a solar dish and concentrator, to disinfect liquid-solid waste and produce biological charcoal (biochar) that can be used as a replacement for wood charcoal or chemical fertilizers.
Contact: Karl Linden / +1 303 302 0188/ Carol Rowe / +1 303 492 7426 / Carol.Rowe@colorado.edu
For photos, b-roll, and additional information, please visit our Newsmarket site.
###
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health with vaccines and other lifesaving tools and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to significantly improve education so that all young people have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. To learn more, visit www.gatesfoundation.org. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and our blog www.impatientoptimists.org.
Related articles
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosting toilet fair in Seattle (mynorthwest.com)
- Why Bill Gates bought 200 litres of fake poo (stuff.co.nz)
- Bill Gates is trying to raise toilet awareness (thebusypost.wordpress.com)
Related Documents
Background: Reinvent the Toilet
Reinvent the Toilet Fair Program
Exhibitor Technology Guide: Reinvent the Toilet Fair 2012
Related Links
NewsMarket
Water, Sanitation, Hygiene Strategy Overview
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Impatient Optimists
press release Translations
source of all materials http://www.multivu.com/mnr/49395-bill-gates-names-winners-of-the-reinvent-the-toilet-challenge
DRY TOILET 2009 Conference proceedings and presentations
The proceedings from the DRY TOILET 2009 conference held by Global Dry Toilet Association of Finland are available They are a great resource and available at
http://huussi.net/tapahtumat/DT2009/full.html
The summary is also avaliable in – suomi (Finish) and Russian as a pdf
The Suomi version of the home page is
http://www.huussi.net/
| Session | Presentations
& |
|
| 1 PROMOTING ECOLOGICAL SANITATION IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE MDG’S |
||
|
India, Namibia, Finland, Tajikistan, Nepal, Uganda |
|
| 2 HEALTH AND SAFETY ASPECTS RELATED TO DRY SANITATION |
||
|
Philippines, India, Argentina, Belarus, Nigeria | |
| 3 IMPLEMENTING ECOLOGICAL SANITATION IN EMERGENCIES |
||
|
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Chad |
|
| 4a PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN RE-USE OF EXCRETA | ||
|
Mexico, Benin, Ethiopia |
|
| 4b PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES IN RE-USE OF EXCRETA continues |
||
|
Finland, Kenya, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka |
|
| 5 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ECOLOGICAL SANITATION |
||
|
Mexico, Columbia, Zambia |
|
| 6 GENDER ASPECTS RELATED TO DRY SANITATION |
||
|
Nepal, Uganda, Bangladesh |
|
| 7a TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DRY TOILETS |
||
|
Kenya and Bangladesh and others |
|
| 7b TECHICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DRY TOILETS continues |
||
|
Finland, Ethiopia, Inner Mongolia, China |
|
| 8 CAPACITY BUILDING |
||
|
Sweden, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania,Kenya, India |
|
| Side event SUSTAINABLE SANITATION FOR TOURISM AND RECREATION |
||
|
Scotland, Republic of Karelia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland |
|









