Dehydrating Systems

Dehydrating toilets are most successful when used in combination with the urine divergent systems. The goal of the design is to dry the faeces by having the faeces drop down into a vault or a container isolated from the urine. After going to the bathroom, users should drop a handful of ash, lime, or another drying agent down the hole. This helps to control odours, raise the pH, and keep the vault as dry as possible (Winblad 2004). Keeping the vault dry kills off the pathogens found in faeces along with viruses, bacteria, and worm eggs, while also reducing fly breeding (Drewko 2007). The initial drying process takes anywhere from six months to one year. Once the faeces are dried, the remains are “a kind of mulch which is rich in nutrients, carbon, and fibrous material” (Winblad 2004). The material can then be collected and processed into a fertiliser. Dehydrating toilets are a good choice for areas that are prone to flooding or with a high water table. These toilets cannot break down toilet paper, so it is necessary to dispose of it separately (Drewko 2007). Many dehydrating systems have been implemented in developing countries, and the 2009 and 2011 Cape Town Project Centre (CTPC) sanitation facility designs proposed using dehydrating systems (Kelly 2009 & Kenney 2011). Examples of these successful dehydrating toilet systems include the Sanergy system from MIT, which was implemented in Kenya, and the Mobisan system which was implemented in an informal settlement in Cape Town, South Africa in 2009 (Atnafu 2010, Naranjo 2009). Both of these projects have been very successful and are still in use today.

Back to “Technical Possibilities for Langrug Upgrades”