Kartik Chandran, an associate professor of earth and environmental engineering at Columbia Engineering, has been awarded $1.5 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for his project to develop a revolutionary new model in water, sanitation, and energy.
Chandran and his partners are developing a technology to transform a fecal sludge into biodiesel and create the “next-generation urban sanitation facility” in Accra, Ghana. They aim to develop a bioprocess technology to convert the organic compounds present in fecal sludge to biodiesel and methane, two potent sources of energy, and thus convert a waste-processing facility into a biorefinery. The biorefinery would not only be an economical source of fuel, but, by minimising the discharge of a fecal sludge into local water bodies, it would also contribute to improved human health and sanitation.
Chandran says the potential outcome of his work would also include integrating the bioprocess technology component into a social enterprise business model that would further promote the widespread implementation of this approach and technology across the globe, especially in developing economies.