- CASE STUDY
Commercialisation of NEWgenerator™ Off-Grid Sanitation System
Project Information
Client
Water Research Commission’s (WRC) SASTEP programme
Location
Informal settlement outside Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa
Capability
Industry
Capacity
1 250 L/d of black and basin water.
Requirement
A solution to treat blackwater to a standard suitable for reuse. In addition, uninterrupted power supply will be an added benefit.
Top Challenges
Lack of Access to Municipal Water
Lack of access to sanitation and municipal water supply prevents the use of flush toilets in informal settlements which forces users to rely on traditional pit or chemical latrines which are not environmentally friendly or safe.
Power Instability
An unreliable power grid, prone to loadshedding and unscheduled outages, has had an adverse effect on existing infrastructure and equipment, often leaving urban and rural areas without power or access to water for prolonged periods.
The Result
Adequate treatment of sewage from the front-end toilet block by the supplied NEWgenerator™.
Provision of flush toilets which use treated water produced by the NEWgenerator™ as flush water.
Flexibility to expand the system to accommodate more users.
Provision of flush toilets which use treated water produced by the NEWgenerator™ as flush water.
Flexibility to expand the system to accommodate more users.
“
The NEWgenerator™ is a particularly exciting system that we predict will help address a number of critical social challenges facing the country including sanitation, access to clean water, energy independence and improved food production. The ability to scale up the manufacturing and roll out more NEWgenerator™ systems locally will not only ensure the country’s ability to deploy it rapidly to where it is most needed but also grow an export market into the SADC region.
Gunter Rencken, Technical Director for WEC Water
Gunter Rencken, Technical Director for WEC Water
”
How WEC Added Value
Resource
Beneficiation
98% of the water is recycled for reuse in the frontend toilet block, reducing its reliance on local water supply. The biogas produced by the treatment process can be used for cooking while the nutrient-rich waste generated can be used as fertiliser.
Modular
Design
Built into a standard shipping container, the NEWgenerator™ is easily transported to site and installed timeously, reducing site costs and enhancing logistics.
Power
Options
The Slovoville NEWgenerator™ operates using solar power, allowing for continuous flush water supply, even during power outages or load-shedding.
From The Client
Through the SASTEP programme, the WRC has matched several innovative inbound technologies with capable commercial partners – entrepreneurs, SMMEs and manufacturers within the sanitation industry – who possess requisite skills to localise and manufacture these products at scale. This is why we matched and facilitated the licensing of the NEWgenerator™ to WEC Water.
Akin Akinsete, Programme Manager for SASTEP.
Akin Akinsete, Programme Manager for SASTEP.
Water and Wastewater
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