Portable Sanitation Association International

Association Insight July 12 2017

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WEEKLY EDITION JULY 12, 2017 Dispatch #3 from South Africa…continued Research Reveals New Ways of Extracting Value from Human Waste Our second site visit was to the Newlands Mashu Research Site. These facilities are used to conduct research experiments and test the applicability of models in the field. Newlands Mashu Research Site The Newlands Mashu Agricultural Hub is situated in Newlands, an area north of Durban in South Africa. It was established in 2010, and it functions as a bio-intensive vegetable production research site. Because of the alignment of research objectives, this site was considered ideal for integrated research on sanitation, decentralized wastewater treatment, nutrient recovery and recycling, and agricultural trials as well. The Newlands Mashu Research Site provides a controlled and safe environment where sanitation systems, resource recovery, and agricultural recycling of recovered resources can be evaluated and developed. Trials at the site are part of the eThekwini Municipality's long-term strategy for the development of sanitation systems for both existing and new housing projects. The research focus encompasses several important life cycle considerations that support planning for services that extend beyond a single goal of providing sanitation. Here are the projects we observed on the site. DEWATS The Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) was constructed in 2010 as a demonstration and research plant. The design of the small wastewater treatment system was informed by practical experiences of the Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) and knowledge gained from extensive sanitation research conducted by the Pollution Research Group (PRG). CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Above: In this less-than-flattering selfie, Executive Director Karleen Kos is shown at the entrance to the Newlands Mashu Research Site. It is not open to the public, and the ISO IWA group of visitors was granted unusual access to the grounds and staff. Above: ISO IWA meeting visitors gathered at the Newlands Mashu Research Site for a group photo. A tank for storing water reclaimed from processed waste is at the right. The back wall of an experimental toilet facility is at the left. PAGE 2

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