IRFP: Inactivation of Pathogens and Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Novel Treatment Processes for Source-Separated Urine in Durban, South Africa

国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行9至24个月的研究。该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，以及使用国外独特或互补的设施，专业知识和实验条件。该奖项由国际科学与工程办公室和化学，生物工程，环境和运输系统部门的环境工程项目共同资助。 该奖项将支持博士石楠N。Bischel将与Tamar Kohn博士一起在瑞士洛桑的洛桑联邦理工学院（EPFL）和南非德班的夸祖鲁-纳塔尔大学工作。 在这个项目中，病原体的灭活和选择的微量有机化学品的关注（TrOC）的去除进行了评估，以评估安全性和优化尿液回收系统的设计参数。尿液回收系统的主要目标是增加获得卫生设施的机会，回收有价值的营养物质以创造收入，并保护人类和环境健康。通过“VUNA”项目，瑞士联邦水生科学技术研究所（Eawag）和南非德班的eThekwini水与卫生（EWS）正在开发几种收集和处理尿液分流干厕所（UDDTs）储存的尿液以生产肥料的技术。Bischel与Tamar Kohn博士在洛桑联邦理工学院（EPFL）工作。研究工作将在洛桑联邦理工学院进行，在夸祖鲁-纳塔尔大学的协调下，在德班设有实地单位。该项目利用来自VUNA的技术专长，了解病原体灭活和微量有机污染物去除过程，并模拟尿液回收系统和尿源肥料中污染物的命运。将对在德班运行的中试规模尿液循环反应器进行现场分析，以与实验室模拟的污染物去除过程进行比较。作为扩大的集中式污水处理系统的替代方案，为德班服务的市政当局在城市的郊区安装了大约90，000个UDDT。目前，这些UDDTs在源头将尿液分离，转移到浸泡坑，粪便收集在拱顶中，在添加灰烬或沙子后干燥。然而，对于这个系统，单独收集的尿液可以被处理，而不是被丢弃，以回收营养物质并产生尿源肥料。除了带来潜在的收入来源外，回收养分供再利用还能降低废物流中的磷和氮浓度，从而减少环境污染。尿液衍生的肥料和反应器流出物中的病原体和TrOC可能影响最终产品的质量或感知质量。最终，该项目将有助于设计改进的尿液回收技术，以达到最佳的卫生标准。

The International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award is co-funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering and by the Environmental Engineering Program in the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems Division. This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship by Dr. Heather N. Bischel to work with Dr. Tamar Kohn at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland and University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. In this project, the inactivation of pathogens and removal of select trace organic chemicals of concern (TrOCs) are assessed to evaluate the safety and optimize design parameters of urine recycling systems. The primary goals of urine recycling systems are to increase access to sanitation, recover valuable nutrients for revenue generation, and protect human and environmental health. Several technologies to collect and treat stored urine from urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs) to produce fertilizers are under development through the "VUNA" project, a collaborative effort between the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) in Switzerland and eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) in Durban, South Africa.This International Research Fellowship Program award will support Dr. Heather N. Bischel to work with Dr. Tamar Kohn at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Research will be conducted at EPFL, with field components in Durban in coordination with the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The project leverages technological expertise from VUNA to develop an understanding of pathogen inactivation and trace organic contaminant removal processes and to model the fate of contaminants in urine recycling systems and urine-derived fertilizers. Field analysis for pilot-scale urine recycling reactors operating in Durban will be conducted for comparison to laboratory-modeled contaminant removal processes.As an alternative to an expanded centralized sewerage system, the municipality that serves Durban installed approximately 90,000 UDDTs in the city's peri-urban areas. Currently these UDDTs separate urine at the source for diversion to soak pits, and feces are collected in vaults for drying following the addition of ash or sand. For this system, however, separately collected urine could be processed, rather than disposed, to recover nutrients and produce urine-derived fertilizers. In addition to introducing a potential source of revenue, recovery of nutrients for reuse also lowers phosphorous and nitrogen concentrations in the waste stream, thus reducing environmental contamination. Pathogens and TrOCs in the urine-derived fertilizer and reactor effluent may impact the quality, or perceived quality, of end products. Ultimately, this project will contribute to the design of improved urine recycling technologies to achieve the best possible hygiene standards.