But in reality, this is not a claptrap gimmick, but an
innovative invention that concerns millions of lives and has the potential to change millions of lives
The overlooked problem of the century
Today, 62 percent of the world's fecal matter still isn't disposed of safely, and the consequence of this is that more than a half-million people die of cholera every year, Dysentery, diarrhea, and other diseases related to water cleanliness, resulting in an economic loss of more than $200 billion per year globally in increased health care costs and reduced revenues.
This is because traditional sanitation solutions consisting of flush toilets, sewers, and wastewater treatment systems require large amounts of land, energy, and water to support, and are very costly to build and maintain,
which is not the case in many developing countries.
However, data suggests that it is not only developing countries that cannot afford to build sewer systems, but also those that are experiencing water shortages due to rapid population growth and climate change. However, data suggests that it is not just developing countries that cannot afford to build sewer systems, but that the world is facing an urgent need to change its toilets in the face of rapid population growth and climate change-induced water shortages.
Today, billions of people still don't have access to safe, hygienic toilets | Pixabay
The toilet innovation that's a century late
But there's unimaginable resistance to transforming toilets.
Urban sanitation systems
comprised of flush toilets, sewer networks, and wastewater treatment systems
Since their inception in the nineteenth century they have been hailed as one of the greatest inventions in the history of mankind, not only transforming the scale and course of the world's urbanization, but also dramatically increasing the life span of its inhabitants per capita; the system has also had a ripe scale of success for commercial enterprises. For commercial enterprises, the system also has a mature scale of market demand as well as stable and considerable profit returns. It's a perfect solution that has remained virtually unchanged for more than 170 years.
But this also means that the needs of more than 4.2 billion people in low- and middle-income countries have been selectively ignored by the market due to a lack of purchasing power and an unpredictable return on investment, preventing them from not only benefiting from existing sanitation solutions, but also from enjoying the modernization experience brought about by technological advances and knowledge updates.
As an organization focused on public health and health equity, the Gates Foundation believes that "all lives have equal value and that everyone has the right to lead a healthy and productive life. One of the key ways to do this is to eliminate deadly infectious diseases.
The Gates Foundation's mission is to solve the toilet problem so that everyone has access to safe, improved sanitation and so that people do not lose their lives to preventable diseases. In 2011, the Gates Foundation launched the Toilet Innovation Challenge, a global call for solutions to breakthrough innovations in existing sanitation facilities. 10 years and more than $200 million later, we've found some innovative sanitation solutions.
The Universal Processor
is one of the answers.
Troubleshooting before the Universal Processor
"The Universal Processor, developed by JanickiBioenergy, a Seattle-based biotech company, can serve towns and cities of about 50 to 100,000 people --
not only does it Not only does it produce enough energy to sustain itself during the process, but it also kills harmful pathogens in human waste and converts what's left into economically valuable products, including clean water, electricity, and fertilizer
Because it doesn't need to be powered by the grid, supplied with water from the water network, or connected to a sewer system, it can be placed virtually anywhere, making it a great solution for low- and middle-income countries that lack the funds to afford a pipeline system. It is a good solution for low and middle-income countries that lack the funds to afford a pipeline system, or are otherwise unable to deploy a pipeline system due to high temperatures, drought, or other reasons.
But it's not enough to innovate, it's also necessary to make the innovations available and accessible to meet the urgent needs of people living in the most resource-poor regions at a more affordable cost. In this process, we face serious challenges.
First, there are many practical challenges in moving from experimental scenarios to real-world applications. For example, how do you convince the government to buy a new treatment device that hasn't been used before? Who will operate and maintain it after it is put into use? How to match with the existing public **** sanitation facilities? And is the treatment process safe and efficient, meeting discharge standards?
Problems such as these not only require policy support at the government and local level, but also require active collaboration and participation of various parties such as manufacturers, quality standard system organizations, and even more so require professionals to solve the problems of customization and modular production according to different environments. Obviously,
In the face of such a complex challenge, no one country or sector can solve it alone, and cooperation is the best solution
To make the universal processor truly beneficial to people, the only way is to cooperate with many parties｜Pixabay
Since the birth of the universal processor, the Gates Foundation has been looking for partners around the world in the hope that this revolutionary facility can play a role in the real world. performance in the real world. But the reality is far harder to imagine. First of all, to undertake the construction and use of the universal processor requires excellent manufacturing and operational capabilities, and secondly, it also requires a favorable policy environment that encourages the introduction of innovative and sustainable new technologies into the field of public **** health, and is willing to invest more in improving the living conditions of the people, and at the same time, it also requires a partner with the expertise, knowledge, and willingness to **** with the face and solve the problem of the uncertainty that comes to the forefront.
In the end, the Gates Foundation found an important partner in China.
Locating in China to provide innovative solutions for the toilet revolution
Over the past 70 years, China has made tremendous progress in improving the living environment of its residents. Since the establishment of the Rural Toilet Transfer Payment Program in 2004, the central government has invested more than 20 billion yuan in the rural toilet revolution. According to China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD),
by the end of 2020, China's rural sanitary toilet penetration rate will reach more than 68 percent, and the cumulative transformation of rural household toilets will reach more than 40 million households
But because of decentralized living, or climatic characteristics such as high cold and drought, nearly 50 million people in China are still unable to enjoy the conveniences brought by the toilet revolution: in some areas, the lack of facilities and technologies in line with the actual situation in the countryside In some areas, the lack of facilities and technology to meet the actual situation in rural areas has led to a high vacancy rate of toilets; on the other hand, because of the lack of operating funds, some of the sewage and sludge treatment facilities are facing the dilemma of "built but not used.
In response to this situation, China has successively issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for the Improvement of Rural Habitat", "Opinions of the Central Government and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting Rural Revitalization and Accelerating the Modernization of Agricultural and Rural Areas", and other important documents, including the "construction and promotion of wastewater treatment facilities and technologies that meet the needs of rural areas, both technically and cost-effectively As well as "accelerate the research and development of arid, cold areas of sanitary latrines applicable technology and products, resource utilization, sewage treatment, sound management and care system, such as rural sanitation toilet solutions for innovation.
A rural toilet located in the center of China|Flickr,TaunoThk/CCBY-NC-SA2.0
In the same context of caring for public **** sanitation and health equity and seeking innovative solutions***, from the end of 2016, the Gates Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, has been working with Beijing Erqi Locomotive Industry Limited Liability Company on the landing of the universal processor project in China
. Erqi Locomotive has a strong manufacturing capacity and global network and is y engaged in environmental protection-related industries, which can complement the Gates Foundation's resources in the field of science and technology innovation, and not only promote the improvement of China's domestic sanitation environment, but also spread the relevant experience to other regions of the world.
In October 2017, the Gates Foundation and Beijing Erqi Locomotive Industry Co. signed a cooperation agreement. Subsequently, this technology, which the Gates Foundation invested a huge amount of money to support Janicki's development and for which the Gates Foundation enjoys intellectual property rights, was transferred to Erqi Locomotive without compensation. In the meantime, Janicki submitted complete technical information to assist Erqi Locomotive in the conversion of drawings and improvement of information, etc. Erqi Locomotive proceeded with the procurement and production of ancillary parts according to the plan and submitted the application for a commercial license in China, and then proceeded to modify the technology according to the actual needs to produce a universal processor that is adapted to China's environment and focuses on the treatment of biosolids and sorted organic wastes.
Steam from sludge treatment can be used to clean equipment｜GatesArchive
Sludge will be fed into the processor system｜GatesArchive
Ash that can be used to make building materials or landfillable ash is one of the products of the universal processor｜GatesArchive
Staff inspecting treated water after treatment｜GatesArchive
Clean steam from the universal processor｜GatesArchive