At NC State, we are back in the lab.  This time we are working on what to do with the trash. Garbage in pits is a common occurrence across countries and a hurdle for all of us trying to empty pits, regardless of technology.

First approach:  Removing the trash with the sludge.

We designed, fabricated and tested 2 mean-looking cutting heads, pictured below, that are attached to the end of the auger.

We were able to decimate certain items with the cutting heads but others still gave us problems.  While none of these completely solved our trash problem, we gained valuable knowledge through the experiments.  We are now turning our sights to emptying through a two-step process, with trash removal or grinding as a separate step before using the auger to empty the sludge.

  Trash remnants after testing

The NC State team just wrapped up the Reinvent the Toilet Fair last week in New Delhi, India! The fair was an incredible display of ingenuity and effort currently being focused on sanitation in the developing world. We had several visitors to our exhibit and are very excited about some of the collaborations that have been/will be formed moving forward with the Excrevator development. The prototype we displayed at the fair will now be remaining in India, thanks to Namita Banka and Banka Bioloo, for testing beginning in June 2014.

Dr. Francis de los Reyes Interview and Demo with SuSanA at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair

Version 3 of the Excrevator (left) has been built, tested, and shipped to New Delhi, India to be showcased along with other Gates Foundation projects in March 2014! We will have a full scale model at the fair that will be emptying a simulated pit latrine. We will be able to let the invited guests actually use the Excrevator themselves and give us feedback.We are excited to present our work over the past year on the Excrevator in addition to seeing all the great work being accomplished by other Gates Foundation funded groups!