Despite progress following the introduction of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve water and sanitation worldwide, about 3.5 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation services, and nearly one billion people still practice open defecation. One consequence is the spread of diarrheal germs which, according to the CDC, are the cause of 1 in 9 child deaths worldwide (440,000 deaths per year)--the third most common cause of death among children under the age of 5.
Several research projects were conducted by the Deshusses' Lab at Duke to help address this issue. A neighborhood-scale fecal sludge processing system was developed to provide human waste treatment for communities of 1000-1200 people. A combined toilet and sanitizing system was engineered to offer onsite sanitation for family/groups of 10-50 people. Effective methods for odor control for these and many other solutions were investigated. See the tabs above for more information on any of these projects.
This work was made possible through the generous funding of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.