Towards the use of activated charcoal filters in waster treatment plants, with the charcoal being produced from waste produced in the treatment plant.

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The Home Energy Recovery Unit (HERU) shows a lot of promise, especially in impoverished parts of the globe. 16% of the world's population are without electricity, many in remote rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia (Energy Access Database, 2017). These communities are often hard to reach so building power networks to them is difficult; energy is lost due to resistance in power lines so power lines may not be an ideal solution. 38% of the world's population use biomass fuel for cooking, often inefficiently in open fires/stoves, again mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (Biomass database, 2017). The HERU uses this waste to produce biochar, with smaller fractions of biogas and bio-oil which can be used as fuel for producing electricity. This means electricity is produced at the use point. Collecting the waste for use in the HERU may also increases sanitation levels.Many areas with no access to electricity do not have access to clean drinking water. 783 million people do not have access to clean and safe water worldwide, with 319 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa without access to improved reliable drinking water sources (The Water Project, 2016). This is where this research will come in, the aim of this research is to assess and develop a use of the HERU to solve the clean water crisis, particularly in remote, rural areas. The way this will be achieved will be through using HERU to produce different chars. Potentially producing biochar at different temperatures; It has been found that char produced at greater temperatures in a gasifier is more effective in use as a filter when compared to char produced at lower temperatures (Aqueous Solutions, 2010). This research will aim to go further and assess how different types of waste used in the HERU effect the capability of the biochar to remove impurities from water in addition to producing char at different temperatures. Different types of waste assessed will include: Meats. Plant matter such as unused vegetables. Potentially animal waste. Plastics. Leather. Textiles. Synthetic. Natural. Animal Manure.