Our Solution - diversion for safe sanitation

Eawag’s interdisciplinary project team, partnering with the Austrian Design Studio EOOS, developed the holistic sanitation system "diversion for safe sanitation" based on source-separation. The core of the system and research focus is the diversion toilet including a water recovery technology. The whole sanitation system has the following elements:

• The diversion toilet
• An on-site ultrafiltration technology for water recovery allowing for anal cleansing, hand washing and toilet cleaning
• A transport logistic solution for separated feces and urine
• A semi-centralized resource recovery plant (RRP) for treatment of undiluted feces and urine
• An integrated business model covers all processes along the sanitation system: the provision of rental toilets, the transport of separated feces and urine and the production of marketable end-products.

The "diversion for safe sanitation" system, Ⓒ EOOS

During the first year of the competition, we developed the diversion toilet and delivered proof of concept for the entire diversion sanitation system which is based on source separation.

The diversion toilet offers an attractive & affordable solution for washers and wipers and is the centrepiece of a market-based approach for sanitation attractive for profit-seeking entrepreneurs.

In the following video you can learn more about the development of the diversion toilet:

Further information: - Poster "diversion for safe sanitation" at the "Reinvent the Toilet Fair", Seattle, August 2012 [pdf] - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's short video about the diversion toilet [video] - Project leader Tove Larsen about the specific features of the project and further steps [video]