The “Excrevator” – Safe and Hygienic Pit Emptying for Developing Countries

Over a third of the world’s population is currently without proper sanitation. Millions of pit latrines are currently in operation to provide proper sanitation, however, improper emptying leads to community exposure to diarrheal diseases. The Excrevator is an auger based system designed to mitigate several issues associated with pit emptying. Version 3 was designed, developed, and field tested based on the results from field testing of Version 2 in Durban, South Africa. Field testing of Version 3 in India, South Africa, and Malawi validated the Excrevator’s ability to remove dense solids from the pits. Issues still exist with the maneuverability within the pit, emptying non-flowing waste, and the large amounts of trash found in most African pits. Improved manual trash removal mechanisms were developed and tested in Malawi. Two designs proved to be more efficient and sanitary compared to current methods. Field testing of Version 3 of the Excrevator along with the two trash mechanisms is currently ongoing. Version 4 of the Excrevator is being developed and will be tested in early 2016.