Potential of large-scale implemen-tation of low-tech sanitation

Univ. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl

Director

Institute of Wastewater Management

and Water Protection

Initial remark on Public Health

• Parasites (salt method)• Flue (bird, swine, what is next?)

why did a normal flue become a WHO pandemy?

• A really dangerous could come…be prepareed

• Keep your immune system strong: zink!(trace element, „ammunition of the immune system“, often too low)

Initial remark on Public Health

Sellling bottled water for 30 40 0r 50 cents per litre to the poorest people in the world…

… is misuse of power, killing babies and small children

A price of 5 cents for water in a bag is simple

The 3 dimensions of Innovation

Concept Innovation Formal Innovation

Source: Prof. G. Teodorescu, Stuttgart

Technical Innovation

Urine~ 500

Feaces~ 50

(option: add biowaste)

Greywater25.000 -100.000

N ~ 4-5 ~ 3 % ~ 87 % ~ 10 %

Yearly Loadskg/(P*year)

Flushwatercan be saved6.000 - 25.000

N ~ 4-5 ~ 3 % ~ 87 % ~ 10 %

~ 34 %K ~ 1,8 ~ 54 % ~ 12 %

P ~ 0,75 ~50 % ~ 40 %~ 10 %

COD ~ 30 ~ 41 % ~ 12 % ~ 47 %

Reuse / Water Cycle

Treatment

Fertiliser

Biogas-PlantComposting

Treatment

Soil-Conditioner

S, Ca, Mg and trace

elements

Geigy, Wiss. Tabellen, Basel 1981, Vol. 1, LARSEN and GUJER 1996, FITSCHEN and HAHN 1998

Toilets and resulting Dilution

Type of Toilet Daily Flow per P. Pro and Con'sFlushing

toilet+ widely accepted- waste of water- high dilution

Vacuum-toilet

+ low water demand+ well developed (ships)- high-tec / expensive

Separatingtoilet

+ little water / little dilution+ simple fertiliser reuse- little experience- little experience

WaterlessUrinal

+ no water / no dilution- maintenance required

Composting-toilet

+ no water needed- high space demand- maintenance needed

Desiccation toilet ++ Desiccation for hot climates

Low/Non-diluting toilets are

the key for new sanitation concepts

1. Blackwater and integrated

systems design

2. Dry sanitation / Low Cost

The 3 main Development lines

2. Dry sanitation / Low Cost

solutions

3. Urine-Diversion with flush

sanitation

Here: Low-tech, high efficiency for

large scale implementation:

• Urban, peri-urban areas are far more

difficult that rural situations

• Multi storey houses• Multi storey houses

• Ventilation is not an option for large

scale, otherwise the whole region will

smell bad

• An ancient concept offers new

perspectives: Terra Preta Sanitation

….Urine Diverting Dry Sanitation: Developed from Sweden

ROSA, EU 6th FP

Neue Schultoilette, Ukraine (TUHH/WECF)

NGO WECF Women inEurope and TUHH

Straight-drop dry urine-diverting toilet in multi-story apartments in Dong Sheng, Northern China (SEI)

(EcoSan Res/

A. Rosemarin 2005

www.ecosanres.org)

Straight-drop dry urine-diverting toilet in multi-story apartments in Dong Sheng, Northern China (SEI)

(EcoSan Res/

A. Rosemarin 2005)

…. Mehrgeschossige Häuser

137,000 community biogas septic tanks (DEWATS / BORDA) for purification of household wastewater with more than 0.5 billion tons of wastewater treated annually.

Baffled septic tank

137,000 community biogas septic tanks (DEWATS / BORDA) for purification of household wastewater with more than 0.5 billion tons of wastewater treated annually.

Fed from dry toilets?

Baffled septic tank

Fed from dry toilets?

What will work in Hamburg?

A good starting point…Separett Villa, Sweden

Cild seat

Cover lid

Design ok,

funktion??

Carrying buckets?

converted

Separett Villa

UD-vermicomposter pilot, TUHH

„dry san“ for

SE-Asia:

UD-Pour flushMaria Prihandrianti andAlmy Malisie, Indonesia

TUHH partly financed by IPSWaT, BMBF

…. Äthiopische Urinseparationstoiletten

Co-operation ESE Ethiopia:Otterwasser GmbH(Prof. Oldenburg)TUHH (Prof. Otterpohl)TU Braunschweig (Prof. Krusche)GTZ ppp

…. Trockentrenntoiletten in mehrstöckigen Gebäuden

Drawings: Ole Jebens

Otterwasser, TUHH, TU BraunschweigGTZ PPP

…. Trockentrenntoiletten in mehrstöckigen Gebäuden

Otterwasser, TUHH, TU BraunschweigGTZ PPP

….

with urine without urine ROSA, EU 6th FP

transport of urine & faeces

with urine without urine ROSA, EU 6th FP

….

with urine without urine

for Organic Agriculture:Feed the soil, not the plant

transport of urine & faeces

with urine without urineFeed the soil, not the plant

….

Urban scale:

tricky logistics, multi-use

transporation!!transporation!!

Rainwater Harvesting:

INDIA

Monsoon:

short flooding,

long draughts

• water runs off fast

• checkdams stop it and

allow recharge of aquifersurban RWH in Delhi at CSE

Sorting-Toilet

(Gustavsberg, Sweden)Waterless Urinal

(Keramag)

Wasserfreie Urinsammlung ist inzwischenin Urinalen relativ problemlos möglich(Fa. Keramag)

Reuse through productive bamboo systemslocal regenerative energy, cost recovery throughcarbon trading and charcoal

Loss of Soil Fertility (slow but dramatic, global scale)

counteraction by returning treated biowaste and faecals

(Map from WWW.FAO.ORG)

Breakthrough in faecal matter treatment trough

vermicomposting at TUHH (BMBF / IPSWaT)

An ancient new pathway:

TERRA PRETA(black soil)

Production of super-fertile soils, discovered in the Amazon from ancient cultures, still the Amazon from ancient cultures, still highly fertile today

Composed of biowaste, feacal matter, bones and charcoal

Production through lactofermentation (start e.g. by EM or Sauerkraut-liquid) followed by vermicomposting

Terra Preta:- 2000 – 7000 years old

- around 10 % of the Amazon Region - 16. century millions of people, today 350.000

- up to 20 meters deep, partly hills

- fertile without adding fertilizer- fertile without adding fertilizer

- multiple yield

Composition: around 10 % ground charcoal, biowaste and feacal matter

(lacto-acid fermentation vermicomposting),bones and broken earthware (from Dr. Haiko Pieplow, BMU)

Naturally very

poor tropical

soil

degrades very

soon with

The same

soil:

highly fertile

and carbon

rich over many

generations

long ago with

- lactofermentedsoon with

lack of organic

matter

- lactofermented

vermicomposted

biowaste and

faecal matter- 10% charcoal

Terra Preta

Poor soil can become highly fertile withclever management of biowaste and sanitation

GEO, March 2009

Urban Terra Preta -systems

Patric Blanc, Paris, France

Breakthrough in future

Water Management…

• Typically 70 to 90% of investment in wastewater systems goes into sewerage alone: only necessary if rainwater infiltration or surface runoff unfeasible

• Advances in small scale technology:Economy of scale in NUMBERS

• Beautiful dry toilets with urine diversion also for urban areas

• Integrated water systems in decentral scale

Driving forces for new solutions

• Water scarcity and pollutiongets worse

• Energy prices rising

• Fertiliser prices can rise sharply

• Soil conditioners needed: Terra Preta• Soil conditioners needed: Terra Preta

• High speed of new housing development

• Many new ideas slowly but steadily entering the market

Driving forces for new solutions

• Water scarcity and pollutiongets worse

• Energy prices rising

• Fertiliser prices can rise sharply

• Soil conditioners needed: Terra Preta• Soil conditioners needed: Terra Preta

• High speed of new housing development

• Many new ideas slowly but steadily entering the market

Major drawback: Corruption and misuse of power, exchanging people in authorities

Thank you for your effortsThank you for your efforts

towards a better future!towards a better future!and for listening…and for listening…

further info on further info on www.tuhh.de/awwwww.tuhh.de/aww

IWA SG www.ecosan.orgIWA SG www.ecosan.org