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From Pits to Profits: Unlocking Resource Value from Human Waste

Company: Penn State SEDI

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: BME
Optional: EGEE, IE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Pit latrines have been widely promoted as the sanitation technology of choice in low-income settings. It is estimated that at least 1.8 billion people use pit latrines worldwide, depositing about 1.3 billion kg of faeces and 4.6 billion kg of urine daily. Paradoxically, while there is evidence attributing some of the decreases in waterborne illness in resource constrained contexts to pit latrines, when not well managed, their use can result in environmental pollution and re-introduce the risk of some of the diseases that they were intended to prevent. Researchers have established that pit latrines are hotspot reservoirs of a wide range of legacy contaminants such as nutrients (nitrates, phosphates), human pathogens, microplastics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. They are also hotspots for greenhouse gases (GHG) such as methane, which contribute to global warming. Through a partnership between SDV (a US-based non-profit) that is collaborating with grassroots organizations in Kajiado, we are interested in developing and deploying a sustainable sanitation solution to these pit latrine-related challenges that can also help unlock the resource value of the residual biomass in the form of faecal matter and wastewater in pit latrines as a potential feedstock in the context of a circular bioeconomy. Deliverables include a technical report and a prototype.