Public healthToilet Challenge, 3: U Toronto wins toilet challenge third place for sand filter and UV-ray design
The U of T solution is novel in its simplicity. It uses a sand filter and UV-ray disinfecting chamber to process liquid waste and a smolder chamber, similar to a charcoal barbeque, to incinerate solid waste that has been flattened and dried in a roller/belt assembly
A University of Toronto team led by engineering professor Yu-Ling Cheng, director of the Center for Global Engineering, has garnered third place and $40,000 (USD) for their design of a toilet for the developing world.
The design was a response to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, which seeks to develop a waterless, hygienic toilet which is safe and affordable for people in the developing world that doesn’t have to be connected to a sewer.
A University of Toronto release reports that U of T was one of eight universities from around the world to receive the initial phase one funding of almost $400,000 each. That investment allowed the teams to test their conceptual design. Those designs are being showcased this week at the Gates Foundation’s Seattle headquarters, where the Reinvent the Toilet Fair was held 14-15 August.
The U of T solution is novel in its simplicity. It uses a sand filter and UV-ray disinfecting chamber to process liquid waste and a smolder chamber, similar to a charcoal barbeque, to incinerate solid waste that has been flattened and dried in a roller/belt assembly. The result is a toilet which is sustainable, easy to use, and that processes waste while protecting the community from contamination. A video fully explaining the design can be watched here.
“A lot of science has gone into our work, but we have been careful in our design to ensure that any of the equipment and processes we use can be easily repaired and managed in a remote community by people with limited resources and training,” explained Cheng. “The result is a toilet design that will not only address the pressing challenges associated with poor sanitation, but is sustainable and usable by some of the poorest people in the world.”
The release notes that traditional toilets, which rely on running water, an extensive sewer network, and an expensive processing system, are currently failing to the meet the needs of 2.5 billion people around the world, according to the Gates Foundation.
“The efforts of the University of Toronto team, who is tackling one of the world’s pressing health challenges, have been tremendous. I congratulate the entire team for this richly deserved award, and thank Professor Yu-Ling Cheng who has led the development of this novel toilet system, combining ingenious designs and research with social and geographic constraints, to improve sanitation and global health,” said Professor Cristina Amon, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
