I am a sustainable development journalist based in Cape Town and I am working for Grid Arendal, a Norwegian environmental sustainability organisation that works closely with UN Environment and other partners.
I am looking at simple and effective innovations that tackle access to sanitation and improve overall sanitation in the developing world. Think about the algae-based wastewater treatment method by the CSIR or Micromune by Sanitation World. What about waterless sanitation innovations?
Ideally, I am looking for innovations and technology developed in Africa, but it is not a prerequisite, as long as it is used/can be used in Africa.
I would love to hear from you (and interview you, if possible).
Which sanitation innovations applicable in Africa do you consider best?
THE RAIN IS FORMED IN 7 PHASES, NOT 3. -https://pdf.lu/lsu5/ details in one page (EN.FR). "Lightning + thunder + rain = one operation" You will find the essence of what I advance as hypothesis in this message.
hv + H2O → ↖H2 + O↗ ↖H2 (2/29 = 0.068) and O↗ (16/29 = 0.551), All 2 lighter than the air, they escape in altitude, the lightest one will place the highest one.
3- COMPRESSION (ascending and descending air currents - Opposition of 2 mechanical forces).
4- IONIZATION under the effect of solar radiation, stirring and friction due to compression (all ionizing agents). H2 → (2H+) + 2é- (called positive cloud) and O + 2é-(called negative cloud).
5- EXPLOSIVE SYNTHESIS (O + 2é-) + 2H+ → H2O + lightning + thunder (the cloud is born, it is only there that one can speak of condensation).
6- CONDENSATION
7- RAIN.
The enigma flash + thunder-cloud-rain is resolved. Algeria-Tiaret-Saida-Hounet Tel-mob: (213) 790728135 horrimok@yahoo.fr
If rain water were formed as we all learned,
1- it would have rained much more during the warm seasons because the evaporation is more important than during the cold seasons.
2- A dense, permanent fog from the ground up to the height of the current clouds would have formed. If you say that water in the gaseous state is invisible, I would say that its decomposition is even more (final stage).
3- why do we expect rain when a storm is coming (lightning + thunder) if there is not an intimate relationship between lightning, thunder and rain? The theory "evaporation-condensation-rain", has no author, do you realize? !
I’m a researcher working with microalgae for wastewater treatment and from my experience, if region is well supplied with solar irradiation - it is very good solution for biogens removal and sanitation. Problem with microalgae is their poor decantation properties. We work in Ukraine and we have same problems as in many African countries – old infrastructure, no infrastructure sometimes and no funding, so we focused on energy free, zero capital investment dewatering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12LOuLGGESQ&t=14s
How about a web-hosted application for monitoring and analysing pump usage in remote villages to detect failure, often before it occurs, and keep them in operation for more of the time?
*I am a geo-hydrologist by training but most of my work experience has been with biocide efficacy in potable water systems as well as industrial cooling applications. I have 37 years experience in this area and have seem many mistakes in system design ans management. Too often there is a disconnect between the theoretical engineering of a project vs real world considerations. Millions of dollars have been wasted on poorly designed systems. Luckily my time has been spent "out in the field" so my theoretical background is imbued with practical knowledge. the questions you ask are broad based and defy a reply that is short of a 100 page manuscript. i have been successful in my career and am at the age when helping people is one of my goals. If you want to chat sometime or desire to talk in person, let me know, I will do0 my best to help.
I was in Lagos, Nigeria in 1994 and the oil pollution was rampant. The ADsorb-it Fabric Technology / Products would effectively address these pollution issues. Your contact for the ADsorb-it Technology in Africa would be Goodspeed Environmental Services in Durban and the contact person is Charles or Val Goodspeed cgoodspeed@mweb.co.za.
Further to Bernelle's comments below, I am based at the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, UK, and with Dr Kevin Winter at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, have a Royal Society grant to investigate the use of biofiltration cells to treat contaminated water from an informal settlement based at the Water Hub, near Cape Town. Bernelle gives the website in her piece. Happy to be interviewed!
I am German water-well engineer and spent the half of my life in water supply projects, research, protection of aquifers, management and through different organizations like voluntary service, industrial unconventional oil and gas, mining, EU-HCP etc. emergency water supply for refugee camps, creation and reinforcement of several oasis, innovative and small scaled groundwater infiltration (artificial groundwater recharge) in floodable Wadis and dried-off river beds (including villagers participation) and I ended up with the constrcuction of a helicopter transportable drilling rig which is able to drill down to 250m in any kind of geological formations and: my actual and most important innovation is an international operative and mobile waterwell drillng school. This was created (with many requests) due to the fact, that only rare expwerts are able to drill a water borehole. Everything is theoretically explainable, but in reality, in the field, not reliable and possible to realize. The hundreds of written, high standarized books and manuals, are for those who are standing beside the operation (as supervisor) and giving certain advises, due to their role, and it is the drilling operator, who has be used to it: and also be couraged enough to say: "No my friend, if we do as you have readen, the hole will collpse, the well will produce sand, the well will alterate in a few month etc. etc.
And most of drillers are not analphabetics, but transitioning the methods from reading into practizing, is another important act. In Germany, there is a 3.1/2 years apprenticeship required, before touching a rig, before tdealing with groundwatger. There is a reason for it, isn't it?
So, I sat down and spent my time to create a formal training-practizing-training sequenced in school lessons and to learn-on-the-job. In other words: The training comes from somebody, who knows exactly what is happening in the driling operator's mind.
2 weeks to become professional. Isn't this innovative? A gap to fill? How many million €'s and $'s were spent on failed water supply projects, never reported, never considered. And the beificiaries are running back to the water source, moving house into other regions, ending up in the suburbs of cities, because at least, there is potable water to find...it seems that the circle is closed here....
Hello Miriam, being mediator in sustainable innovative technologies I'm already busy for Africa with all kind of solutions. Maybe a good idea to contact?
Ponds system is the best practice moreover in Africa, due to the fact that of African continent are poor. The wastewater will gravitated and no energy will required, again the other good sanitation practice will be urine diversion system (UDS) this will be good for every where peri-urban and rural area.
Hi Miriam, I work with the Future Water Institute and do research on resource recovery from wastes, which has brought me closer to sanitation. More info: http://www.futurewater.uct.ac.za/FW-WWBR and http://www.futurewater.uct.ac.za/FW-sustainable-sanitation On a personal note I have a UD compost toilet in my house to test it as a viable alternative and to learn about bioprocessing of the solid product.
There is also the Water Hub that aims to test innovations in real world context: https://www.thewaterhub.org.za/ Isidima has been mentioned, they do good work on multiple scales/aspects and is one of the partners at the Hub: https://www.isidima.net/ Other innovations may be available through the WADER programme: http://wader.org.za/
Hi Miriam, sounds like a great area to be involved with. I am working on development of an STP and WTP in a regional area in NSW Australia. They have implemented an Advanced Water Recycling Facility to treat effluent from the STP for non-potable use (irrigation)- almost fully operated with solar PV. Integration of solar can significantly reduce pumping and treatment costs - happy to provide further detail if you like. The project has won many awards and obtained funding and is also obtaining a Sustainability Rating via ISCA.
Worlds First Planetary Restoration Systems. www.aquagen-isi.ws My e-mail is bbs@aquagen-isi.ws Wastewater treatment is dead, resource reclamation, reuse and circular economic value is the new direction.
Dear Miriam, I have the Clarus Fusion STP which uses very little power and all the the grey water is reused for irrigation etc. Please see www.maskamwater.com and let me know your opinion. This product is in use in many Sub- Saharan countries and in the UAE. Maskam Water, owned by Gerhard Cronje, is based in Brackenfell Cape Town. (I do agree with the post from Barry Jackson)
