Building knowledge, delivering insight

Amemorandum of agreement has been signed between the two entities to formalise the collaboration where the Wash Centre assists EWS with maintaining cost-competitive waste treatment services to industry, and improving the health and environmental status of rivers and beaches.

Most projects conducted by the WASH R&D Centre have an impact on water and sanitation service delivery in eThekwini, and EWS is a key partner in the centre’s research.

“We believe in conducting research that can be applied in our own ‘backyard’. This collaboration ensures the success of new sanitation technologies because they are thoroughly tested by us both in the field and in our laboratory. EWS is dedicated to improving sanitation,” states Dr Colleen Archer, parasitologist and head of laboratory, WASH R&D Centre. The WASH R&D Centre’s key activities include: • research support to eThekwini Municipality on aspects of water and sanitation service delivery and management • provision of technical, engineering and laboratory support to developers of new sanitation technologies being tested in the field • research into the circular economy and the link between sanitation and agriculture • engaging with communities and households

participating in water and sanitation research projects • supervision of postgraduate students in projects related to water, sanitation, agriculture and health • strengthening existing collaborations with funders, government bodies, research organisations and industry, and forging new relationships.

Pigs maintain the life cycle of Ascaris parasites Since 2003, the UKZN WASH R&D Centre has provided eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Unit (EWS) with scientific support to develop and implement innovative water and sanitation services to the underserved.

Bioprocessing laboratory

The WASH R&D Centre maintains a modernised bioprocess engineering laboratory with specialised equipment Thabiso Zikalala, acting lab manager, for analysing wastewater, compost and UKZN WASH R&D Centre faecal sludge samples, and conducting research on innovative wastewater and sanitation technologies.

“We work with human excreta and sewage samples from non-sewered sanitation systems, decentralised wastewater treatment plants (including Dewats), and centralised wastewater treatment plants to obtain design and process data,” says Thabiso Zikalala, acting lab manager, WASH R&D Centre.

He emphasises that the core function of the laboratory is to assist in finding solutions for people without access to safe sanitation, Dr Colleen Archer, parasitologist and and for solutions regarding the treatment and head of laboratory, disposal of faecal sludge. UKZN WASH R&D Centre

“We provide a quick turnaround time when delivering results of analyses and are therefore often used by clients in the water and wastewater industry. We also have a small pilot laboratory in Newlands Mashu,” adds Zikalala.

Ascaris adult worms. Front dish males at back, females with coiled tails in the front

Helminth testing

The WASH R&D Centre has one of the few laboratories in the world that conducts environmental helminth testing.

Helminth eggs (and larvae) are the infective stages of parasitic worms and pose a risk to human health. They are excreted in the faeces of infected individuals and are thus concentrated in sewage sludge. They provide health and environmental risks

to householders, communities and those involved in the toilet-emptying process. Helminth eggs contaminate the soil in areas where sanitation is poor, which aids transmission.

Due to their hardiness and longevity, Ascaris (a genus of helminths) eggs are used as a marker for the safe reuse of sanitation products. There is a worldwide shortage of these eggs (for use in research) and importing them is difficult, as government is strict about bringing in pathogens.

The centre has therefore set up a pig farm, where two pigs are moderately infected with Ascaris suum and eggs are excreted in their faeces. These eggs are harvested and used for experimental purposes. “We spike them into test toilets that claim to destroy pathogens on-site so that the faeces can safely be used as soil conditioner. Once eggs pass through the toilet, we retrieve, count and evaluate their viability status, and incubate them to see if larvae develop,” explains Archer.

Alarmingly, she adds, “Many laboratories that conduct helminth tests do so incorrectly. When looking at their lab results, this becomes apparent when they merely report ‘viable helminth eggs present’ without identifying the types of helminth eggs. There are many different organisms that live in the soil and produce eggs that look like pathogens, and when there is no specification, it is safe to assume that eggs (and possibly other artefacts) were simply counted under a microscope.”

On-site toilet systems must demonstrate pathogen inactivation to be ISO 30500 accredited, hence the need for an accredited helminth test.

Faecal sludge testing

The laboratory conducts both standardised tests and well as specific tests it has developed, which have been published in a book, Methods for Faecal Sludge Analysis. The testing of faecal sludge is an intricate process. Since standard methods for sampling and analysing faecal sludge do not currently exist, results are not comparable, the actual variability is not yet fully known, and the transfer of knowledge and data between different regions and institutions is challenging and often arbitrary. Due to this lack of standard analytical methods for faecal sludge, methods from other fields – such as wastewater management, and soil and food sciences – are frequently applied. However, these methods are not necessarily the most suitable for faecal sludge analysis and have not been specifically adapted for this purpose. The UKZN WASH R&D Centre has therefore developed test methods best suited to faecal sludge.

“The aim of this book is to provide a basis for the standardisation of faecal sludge methods from on-site sanitation technologies, for improved communication between sanitation practitioners, and for greater confidence in the data generated. The book presents background information on types of faecal sludge, methods for sample collection, health and safety procedures, case studies of experimental design, an approach for estimating faecal sludge at community to city-wide scales, modelling containment and treatment processes, recipes for simulants, and laboratory methods for faecal sludge analysis currently in use by faecal sludge laboratories,” adds Zikalala.

Microwave digester for chemical oxygen demand analysis and metal analysis digestion process

Microwave digester and scrubber

Sieves for sample testing

Training

“We are passionate about developing and teaching people in the water and sanitation field, where they can eventually work in key positions within the sector and use their background, knowledge and passion to improve sanitation,” says Archer. The laboratory trains local and foreign MSc and PhD students on how to use the laboratory equipment and perform tests, and has assisted in training laboratory staff from many countries, including India, Tanzania, Malawi and Cambodia.