A GLOBAL SOLUTION TO PROTECT WATER BY TRANSFORMING WASTE

通过废物转化来保护水资源的全球解决方案

• 批准号: EP/J00538X/1
• 负责人: Gavin Collins
• 金额: $ 121.84万
• 依托单位: University of Glasgow
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2011 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FJ00538X%2F1
• 关键词: GLOBAL; SOLUTION; PROTECT; WATER; TRANSFORMING

Four-in-ten people live in hazardous conditions due to poor sanitation. Indeed, with half the population of developing regions without sanitation, United Nations goals of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation seem set to be missed.The focus of this project is the 'peri-urban' environment, which includes areas outside cities that are characterized by poor infrastructure, and poor access to formal water and sanitation services. Here, people endure water contamination, ill-health, and lack of dignity.Despite intentions to safely contain waste, sanitation systems such as pit latrines end up as "holes in the ground". Initiatives, such as 'Community-Led Total Sanitation' (CLTS), have emerged to tackle the challenge. It encourages communities to analyse their own sanitation situation and build low-cost toilets. One of the key lessons is that sanitation is a social as well as technical challenge.In light of this, we comprise a team of natural and social scientists, which has come together to address this pressing problem by pooling our talents, interests and expertise. We believe that a "socio-technical" approach is required to help to quickly address this problem, and that only a mixed team of different experts can do that. The proposed technology is based on anaerobic digestion (AD), which is the breakdown of organic matter by bacteria to methane-containing biogas, in the absence of oxygen. AD is a natural process, which occurs in soils, swamps and bogs. However, if applied in airtight tanks, AD can be used to treat wastes. AD is an established technology, particularly for the treatment of industrial wastewaters. The AD process relies of several groups of bacteria working together in a cooperative manner to break down waste. Typically, the first group breaks down large chemical molecules (like fats and carbohydrates) to simpler molecules. Another group then continues the digestion process to yet-simpler forms of the waste, until eventually the methane-makers convert the waste to biogas. The groups live very closely together in slimy communities, known as biofilms. The type of biofilms commonly found in wastewater treatment tanks are known as 'sludge granules', due to their spherical appearance. The diameter of each granule is approximately 1 mm. Each granule contains millions of bacteria and, theoretically, all of the different groups required to digest the waste will be present in each single granule.AD has many advantages over more conventional types of wastewater treatment, which are carried out in aerated tanks. The chief advantage is that AD is cheaper, as there is no need to waste energy on pumping oxygen into the AD tanks. In addition, the biogas produced by AD can be readily used for electricity generation, heat production or as a vehicle fuel. It is likely that future wastewater treatment infrastructure in the UK will rely on AD for these reasons.Thus, the objective of this project is to develop a low-cost system, based on AD, for the safe and efficient treatment of domestic wastewater (sewage and personal washing water). The system will convert waste to biogas and valuable products, such as fertilisers.The challenges facing the team are two-fold:(1) The sanitation system in the peri-urban environment is not based on a formal sewerage network of pipes with sewage transported by flushing water. Instead, a high-solids waste will be present. A major challenge will be to 're-engineer' granules to efficiently - and quickly - digest high-solids wastewater. (2) There may be cultural and social issues impeding initial progress. The proposed system, and the way it might be used, may not be acceptable to local people. We will engage with local people and integrate the social science required, with the engineering and science involved. In this way, a 'user-centred' prototype can be developed.

由于卫生条件差，十分之四的人生活在危险的条件下。事实上，由于发展中地区一半的人口没有卫生设施，联合国关于到2015年将无法获得安全饮用水和基本卫生设施的人口比例减半的目标似乎注定无法实现，该项目的重点是“城市周边”环境，包括城市以外基础设施薄弱、难以获得正式饮用水和卫生服务的地区。在这里，人们忍受着水污染、健康不佳和缺乏尊严，尽管人们有意安全地控制废物，但坑式厕所等卫生系统最终成为“地上的洞”。为应对这一挑战，出现了“社区主导的全面卫生”等倡议。它鼓励社区分析自己的卫生状况，建造低成本厕所。其中一个重要的教训是，环境卫生既是一项社会挑战，也是一项技术挑战。有鉴于此，我们组建了一个由自然科学家和社会科学家组成的团队，通过汇集我们的人才、兴趣和专业知识，共同解决这一紧迫问题。我们认为，需要一种“社会技术”方法来帮助迅速解决这一问题，只有由不同专家组成的混合小组才能做到这一点。拟议的技术是基于厌氧消化（AD），这是有机物质的分解细菌含甲烷的沼气，在没有氧气。AD是一种自然过程，发生在土壤、沼泽和沼泽中。然而，如果在密闭罐中应用，AD可用于处理废物。AD是一种成熟的技术，特别是用于处理工业废水。AD过程依赖于几组细菌以合作的方式一起工作来分解废物。通常，第一组将大的化学分子（如脂肪和碳水化合物）分解为更简单的分子。另一组则继续消化过程，以更简单的形式的废物，直到最终甲烷制造商将废物转化为沼气。这些群体在被称为生物膜的粘糊糊的社区中生活得非常紧密。在废水处理池中常见的生物膜类型由于其球形外观而被称为“污泥颗粒”。每个颗粒的直径约为1 mm。每个颗粒含有数百万个细菌，理论上，消化废物所需的所有不同群体都将存在于每个颗粒中。AD与在曝气池中进行的更传统的废水处理类型相比具有许多优势。主要优点是AD更便宜，因为不需要浪费能量将氧气泵入AD罐。此外，AD产生的沼气可以很容易地用于发电，供热或作为车辆燃料。由于这些原因，英国未来的废水处理基础设施很可能将依赖于AD。因此，本项目的目标是开发一种基于AD的低成本系统，用于安全有效地处理家庭废水（污水和个人洗涤水）。该系统将把废物转化为沼气和有价值的产品，如化肥。该团队面临的挑战有两个方面：（1）城市周边环境的卫生系统不是基于正式的污水管道网络，污水通过冲洗水输送。相反，将存在高固体废物。一个主要的挑战将是“重新设计”颗粒，以有效和快速地消化高固体废水。(2)可能有文化和社会问题阻碍了最初的进展。拟议的系统及其使用方式可能不为当地人民所接受。我们将与当地人民接触，并将所需的社会科学与所涉及的工程和科学相结合。通过这种方式，可以开发一个“以用户为中心”的原型。

项目成果

Bioaugmentation Mitigates the Impact of Estrogen on Coliform-Grazing Protozoa in Slow Sand Filters.

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b05027
• 发表时间: 2016-03-15
• 期刊: Environmental science & technology
• 影响因子: 11.4
• 作者: Haig SJ;Gauchotte-Lindsay C;Collins G;Quince C
• 通讯作者: Quince C

Bioreactor Scalability: Laboratory-Scale Bioreactor Design Influences Performance, Ecology, and Community Physiology in Expanded Granular Sludge Bed Bioreactors.

• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00664
• 发表时间: 2017
• 期刊: Frontiers in microbiology
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Connelly S;Shin SG;Dillon RJ;Ijaz UZ;Quince C;Sloan WT;Collins G
• 通讯作者: Collins G

The impact of community social dynamics on achieving improved sanitation access for the urban poor: The case of Lusaka, Zambia

社区社会动态对改善城市贫民卫生设施的影响：赞比亚卢萨卡的案例

• DOI: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.09.004
• 发表时间: 2015
• 期刊: Habitat International
• 影响因子: 6.8
• 作者: Kennedy-Walker R

Optimisation and costing of faecal sludge management options for Lusaka's informal settlements

• DOI: 10.1039/c5ew00179j
• 发表时间: 2016-01
• 期刊: International Journal of Fuzzy Systems
• 影响因子: 4.3
• 作者: R. Kennedy-Walker;T. Holderness;D. Alderson;J. Amezaga;C. Paterson

The role of power, politics and history in achieving sanitation service provision in informal urban environments: a case study of Lusaka, Zambia

权力、政治和历史在非正式城市环境中实现卫生服务提供中的作用：赞比亚卢萨卡的案例研究

• DOI: 10.1177/0956247815583253
• 发表时间: 2015
• 期刊: Environment and Urbanization
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Kennedy-Walker R