Project Background
This project is supported by the National Science Foundation and is a unique opportunity for San Diego State University and CalPoly Pomona University students to visit
the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, to research new advances in decentralized wastewater treatment,
resource and energy recovery from wastewater, and sustainability in sanitation. Environmental engineering undergraduate and graduate students will be working on fundamental research at the nexus of water, energy, and food with the
Pollution Research Group at UKZN, while also obtaining an enriching
international experience on topics highly relevant for environmental
scientists and engineers.
This research experience will equip upper-level undergraduates with research skills needed to transition to graduate school and strengthen the research and mentoring skills of graduate student participants. The US-students will be recruited from diverse groups, including those underrepresented in environmental science and engineering, at San Diego State University and California State Polytechnical University in Pomona.
An overarching hypothesis is that decentralized sanitation with energy and resource recovery leads to sustainable solutions for waste management in informal and peri-urban settlements in Durban. Decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) offer many advantages compared to the conventional practice of large-scale, wastewater treatment, including lower capital and operating costs, and simpler technology. The potential to also harness energy and reclaim resources can empower and provide further economic incentive for communities confronting sanitation issues. Given that conventional wastewater treatment is resource- and energy-intensive, the idea of coupling wastewater treatment with more sustainable resource and energy recovery solutions has become increasingly valued.
This research experience will equip upper-level undergraduates with research skills needed to transition to graduate school and strengthen the research and mentoring skills of graduate student participants. The US-students will be recruited from diverse groups, including those underrepresented in environmental science and engineering, at San Diego State University and California State Polytechnical University in Pomona.
An overarching hypothesis is that decentralized sanitation with energy and resource recovery leads to sustainable solutions for waste management in informal and peri-urban settlements in Durban. Decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) offer many advantages compared to the conventional practice of large-scale, wastewater treatment, including lower capital and operating costs, and simpler technology. The potential to also harness energy and reclaim resources can empower and provide further economic incentive for communities confronting sanitation issues. Given that conventional wastewater treatment is resource- and energy-intensive, the idea of coupling wastewater treatment with more sustainable resource and energy recovery solutions has become increasingly valued.
Photo credit: N. Mladenov