USF team’s invention turns waste into clean water, energy and fertilizers.

The NEWgenerator converts waste into nutrient fertilizers, renewable energy, and clean water, providing a modular and self-sustaining machine that operates completely off-grid (no water, power or sewer system required). Dr. Daniel Yeh and the creators of the NEWgenerator, will see their device head to India later this month.

This invention that got its start in a University of South Florida lab could be a game-changer for developing countries “It’s a resource recovery machine,” said Dr. Daniel Yeh, the researcher behind the project, who is also a professor at USF. After four years of development, NEWgenerator will get its first big test when it’s deployed to India. In their quest to help communities with a lack of sufficient sanitation, clean water, food and reliable energy, the team will ship their first NEWgenerator unit to India for field-testing later this month.

The USF team will install the unit and USF Civil& Environmental Engineering PhD candidate Robert Bair, the technical lead on the design and fabrication of the unit, will remain in India for about one year to operate, test and collect data on the NEWgenerator. Bair will troubleshoot and make sure the invention works properly in a small town in Kerala, India. The community has communal toilets and poor sanitation He will develop design changes for the next version of the unit based on his findings. These design changes will likely lead to the commercialization of the NEWgenerator.

The generator will essentially link up with new self-cleaning toilets from an Indian company, which will ideally transform the way people use the bathroom. As an added bonus, it will give them more access to clean water and renewable energy.“For them to be able to use the restroom with dignity and not have it be an interference, or a possible source of contamination would be my hope,” Bair said. “I want them to not have to worry about sanitation, for it to be just as normal as it is for us.”

 

For more information please visit: www.usf.edu

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