There is no shortage of health and environmental challenges related to water, sanitation and hygiene. Today, 3.6 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation and 432,000 people die each year from diarrheal deaths related to inadequate sanitation. More than 500 million women and girls do not have access to facilities that provide the physical requirements for effective management of menstrual bleeding.
Population growth, climate change, water scarcity, rapid urbanization, and aging infrastructure are exacerbating these challenges, underscoring the need for innovation.
We develop and deploy sustainable technology-enabled solutions to address such challenges, overseeing the Sanitation Technology Cluster, a global network of partners committed to accelerating the commercialization of technologies designed to improve human health and the environment.
Current research and development activities include:
- Compact, automated onsite waste treatment technologies that remove pathogens and enable onsite water reuse
- Compact, automated menstrual health and hygiene disposal options that prioritize the health of women, girls, and the environment
- Novel nutrient removal technologies for onsite waste treatment systems (OWTS)
- Novel sensors and diagnostics for the early detection of disease in individuals and communities
- Odor mitigation and modulation to eliminate a common barrier to user adoption of sanitation technologies