Thai institute offers technology for 'Clean India' campaign

A Thai technology institute is in talks with India to help it in 'Clean India' campaign by marketing its four innovative sanitation products that reduces transportation of sludge and fecal matter.

The sanitation products unveiled by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) recently in Bangkok are the result of a five-year project titled 'Reinventing the Toilet' funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The AIT's four products include a sanitation truck that cleans all the sludge, a cyclone toilet that uses gravity for cleaning, a pit that treats sludge before discharging it into the environment, and a solar toilet.

AIT said these sanitation products would help Thailand take the lead in improving the quality of life in both Asia and Africa, where they will be implemented.

It is already implementing these technologies in both Thailand and Vietnam and said it is in an advanced stage of negotiations for its commercialisation in India.

"The products are aimed at on-site cleaning aimed at reducing transportation of sludge and fecal matter to treat plants, Thammarat Koottatep, Principal Investigator of the project, said.

"The idea is to have an on-site treatment that is decentralised so that we can avoid transportation of fecal matter over long distances," he said.

"We have already ordered for the manufacture of these products for our clients in Vietnam, and we are talking to parties in India who wish to use them in their Clean India campaign," he added

It includes a Hydro-Cyclone cube toilet that uses gravity and the concept of a cyclone to separate liquid and solid wastes.

Disinfection is achieved by heating and the disinfected fecal matter is used as a solid conditioner. A complete treatment of blackwater results in a pathogen-free byproduct which is reusable.

The Sanitiser Truck is equipped with a solid-liquid separator and disinfection system. This decreases the cost of transportation and treatment, and increases both fecal sludge management efficiency and provides revenue generation options through sludge recycling.

The 'Cess to Fit' system is a retro-fitting system which can be fitted into existing cesspool systems to hold and treat fecal matters before discharging them into the environment.

The Solar Septic System uses solar energy to increase the rate of killing of pathogens, increases biodegradation of organic matters, and produces better quality of septic tank effluents, leading to better environmental protection and public health benefits.

The accumulated solid is reduced by 50 per cent compared to conventional septic tanks, AIT said.

"These products would help establish Thailand as a leader in water and sanitation technologies in the entire ASEAN region and beyond," Thammarat said.