Welcome

By recovering nutrients from urine in small decentralized reactors, we want to develop a dry sanitation system, which is affordable for the poor, produces a valuable fertilizer, promotes entrepreneurship and reduces pollution of water resources.

This collaborative project between the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) in Durban focuses on three important aspects of a sanitation system with decentralized urine treatment:

1. Reactor Technology

Eawag will develop new processes for urine treatment with the support of the University of KwaZulu-Natal: Nitrification Evaporation Electrolysis Hygiene & ecotoxicological aspects Reactor operation & optimization

2. Network Management

To collect and transport urine from the households to the treatment sites, appropriate collection systems will be established. Field data and computer simulations will be used to determine the number and performance of reactors required to recover the most nutrients at the lowest costs: Urine collection Performance modelling

3. Socio-Economic Boundaries

Financial incentives based on the fertilizer value of urine will be tested to promote the use of urine-diverting dry toilets. In social studies, the acceptance of the new system by the users will be evaluated. Economic feasibility Social & cultural acceptance

Acknowledgement

The VUNA Project Team would like to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the generous financial support.