Join the team to develop the Nano Membrane Toilet

We currently have four positions open for post-doctoral researchers to join the team and help us develop the Nano Membrane Toilet.   Please click the links for full details of what the role will entail and what qualities we are looking for:

·         Research Fellow in Design for Manufacture

·         Research Fellow in Membrane Technology and Process Engineering

·         Research Fellow in Energy Systems

·         Research Fellow in Mechanics and Mechanisms

 

Salary £30,542 to 34,042 per annum

Closing date for receipt of applications: 28th October 2014             

Expected interview date: 30^th October – 5^th November 2014

The Nano Membrane Toilet receives further funding

We are delighted to announce that the Nano Membrane Toilet has received further funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to continue the development of the toilet.   This next phase will take us to January 2016 when we will have a prototype ready for field testing.   We're really excited to be starting work again after a 6 month break.

We will be continuing to work on some of the components from phase one, particularly the initial collection chamber, the membrane, the flush and the screw, the latter in collaboration with UKZN.   The biggest change is that rather than coating the dried solids, we're now looking to combust them in the toilet using a gasifier - we'll be working with RTI who are already testing their gasifier in India.   This changes the energy balance of the toilet, for example we can now consider recovering the water using a heat exchanger instead of the beads, and we won't have to use the bicycle power generator or hand crank to power the membrane processes.

These new components will require changes to the overall toilet design, and also an intelligent control system which we'll work on with Three Bird Swan.   We'll also continue to collect the perceptions of our target users, through interviews with the customers of Clean Team in Ghana.

Keep following the blog for updates and get in touch with any questions.

Reinvent the Toilet Phase 1. Design Team progress photos.

Created with flickr slideshow.

As we have now reached the end of Phase one the Design Team wanted to show some snaps of the project as it's developed over the course of the year.

This album shows primary research in Ghana, early idea generation to prevent smell in the form of a waterless flush, the workshop, aesthetic design development, CAD work, building the Aesthetic prototype and the culmination of the first phase of the project; the Reinvent the Toilet fair in Delhi, India.

The Design Team consisting of Jake Larsson, Ross Tierney and Dr. Leon Williams are looking forward to getting back to the drawing board and continuing with the the challenging and fascinating project and also potential future collaborations and opportunities.

Partnerships

We’d like to take an opportunity to acknowledge and thank the partners we’ve worked with so far on the Nano Membrane Toilet.   They’ve all done exceptional work.  

Model Products worked built the technical 'works-like' rig that was on display at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair in Delhi and the Natural History Museum. The rig brought together the individual components to create a whole system that will allow for future testing and development. The rig was built to a very high standard and attention to detail was evident with great consideration given to usability during testing.

NextShoot produced the video that explained the toilet system and the impact to the target market in a succinct and engaging manner. Their enthusiasm, skill and experience combined to convey a complex system very effectively in a short amount of time.
http://nextshoot.com/video/gates-foundation-reinvent-the-toilet

Spectrum Gas Systems fabricated the membrane and condensation test rigs, which were instrumental in benchmarking the performance of individual components. The data generated here informed the design of both the "works-like" rig, and the "looks like" prototype.

BMS were involved in early idea generation and concept development on the odour barrier and the fabrication of the demonstration prototypes. Their diverse background helped during the creative process and with many years practical experience, they were able to produce robust test rigs that clearly explained the ideas.

Artem produced the Aesthetic prototype that allowed people to interact with the toilet and understand the aspirations of the Cranfield team. The ‘looks-like’ prototype gave an impression of a high quality product and fulfilled the aspirational image that the team wanted to convey.

How are universities already addressing local, national and international issues?

This is the question posed by the Association of Commonwealth Universities as part of their "The world beyond 2015 - is higher education ready?" campaign.   When they saw the Nano Membrane Toilet they thought it was an ideal answer to their question!

See our feature on their website here.

The Nano Membrane Toilet is a finalist for a Green Gown Award

We're really pleased that the Nano Membrane Toilet has been shortlisted for a prestigious Green Gown Award.   These Awards recognize the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK.   The Nano Membrane Toilet has been nominated in the Research and Development category, with six other finalists.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 3rd.

Fantastic week at the Natural History Museum

We had a fantastic week at the Natural History Museum as part of Universities Week.   Many of our visitors were shocked to learn how many people didn't have access to a toilet and were pleased we were doing something about it.   Visitors included school groups, international tourists and Londoners on a day out, especially the latter on the late night opening on Wednesday when we talked non-stop.   One of the school boys said "that's the coolest toilet I've ever seen!"

The stall looked fantastic:

And was very popular - everyone had heard about "the toilet" and wanted to see what the fuss was about.

 Visitors even tested the prototype for comfort.

Five of the stands at the Natural History Museum were singled out in a feature in the Guardian and we were delighted that an interview with our designer, Ross Tierney, was included.

The only downside was we would have liked an opportunity to meet with David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, who visited some of the other stands, but didn't want to be seen with a toilet!