Making “gold” from faecal waste: fairy tale or reality?
A novel treatment system for the treatment of the sludges collected from dry toilets was recently commissioned in the city of Durban.
IN 2013 the UN declared 19 November as a World Toilet Day to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis – a topic often neglected and shrouded in taboos. Today, 2.4 billion people are struggling to stay well, keep their children alive and work their way to a better future – all for the want of a toilet.
In South Africa, a novel treatment system for the treatment of the sludges collected from dry toilets was recently commissioned in the city of Durban. The sludge processing plant, located south of Durban, was built through a grant awarded to Khanyisa Projects by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and using a novel Black Soldier Fly larvae technology developed by Agriprotein and managed through its business off-shoot Biocycle, which is based near Cape Town.
ALSO READ: Hoy Park ablution block to be demolished
According to Dr Sudhir Pillay, at Research manager at the Water Research Commission, a study conducted and published in the scientific publication Environmental Science & Technology in 2015 showed that there are actually precious metals contained in toilet-derived waste, there is still some way before we re-orientate our engineering processes to extract these resources.
“In Durban, the harvested larvae are being collected after composting with a combination of food and faecal-origin waste for further processing into a branded product called “MagOil”. The pilot aims to demonstrate circular economy principles where products are re-used and recycled while providing sanitation services and provides a platform to showcase the technology to potential commercial partners who may be interested in new supply chains for their products,” he said.
The Black Soldier Fly technology is an industrial biology technology in which Black Solider Flies, which have limited span of up to 8 days, lay eggs which develop into larvae. The larvae eat waste products – this was mostly confined to food wastes but has now been applied to human faecal waste – to reduce its volume. These larvae gain significant weight in a few days and the flies, unlike household flies, are not considered a pest or spread diseases.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
