Problem named:
Human body waste
We found:
In many cities of the world human faecal and urinary waste are not properly treated. In Queretaro, Mexico, where this project was executed, 86% of sewage water goes into rivers and eventually into the Pacific ocean. There is also an important lack of financial resources from the government to improve infrastructure, as well as unexploited business opportunities.
The solution was:
Desbio is a company that recollects human faecal waste cleanly and safely, and processes it to create methane, and with it electricity via a bio-digester. The entire business model and the necessary equipment were developed.
Team:
Diana Hurtado, Bethsabe Cardiel
Description:
An average healthy human produces around 0.25 and 0.5 kg of faecal waste, multiplied by the total human population gives a gigantic amount of waste, which most of it finishes in the oceans without proper treatment.
The two main challenges were: where and when to safely collect it, and what to do with it. Each culture has its own architectural characteristics, so no ‘one size fits all’. This project required a deep analysis of Mexican’s standard home building regulations. We identified that all Mexican houses have an accessible distribution box in the waste water pipe outside the house, in the back or front patio; all work with passive systems, using gravity only.
A passive system for recollection was designed to fit into the distribution box; for it physicians and health experts were also consulted, in order to understand the health risks of collecting and moving faecal waste. Prototypes were built and tested, you can see some videos here. The final solution is a smart business model, where the ‘customer’ is offered to receive the service of collecting their faecal waste, guaranteed without any visual or odour inconveniences, and without any health risks. In return for this free service, customers will receive a discount in their electricity bill. Specific wearable devices and vehicle equipment were designed for this purpose.
Laws of generation and sale of electricity in Mexico prohibit individuals from performing these tasks. It can only be generated and ‘injected’ into the general network, having as a result a discount in your bill. Desbio uses the faecal waste to generate electricity by burning the methane produced in bio-digesters.
