MSUKALIGWA LOCAL

MUNICIPALITY
Pit Latrine Treatment Pit Project At Meppel

BioPower Corporation Group (Pty) Ltd

info@biopowercorp.co.za
1. Background

BioPower Corporation Group was tasked to do a Pit Latrine Treatment pilot for
Msukaligwa Local Municipality with its unique BioSol SL36 organic product.

2. Rollout

The process was rolled out on Tuesday 28 July 2015 in the Meppel area – just
outside of Ermelo. A total of five (5) Amalooloo Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines
(VIP Latrines) were chosen for the pilot, each clearly marked with a BioPower
Corporation Group sticker. Treatment will be done for a total of four (4) weeks.
The toilets serviced all had severely congested pits, with sludge already pushing
into the neck of the pans. The BioSol SL36 was mixed with water to activate the
dormant bacteria, and a shock dosage of 250 mℓ was applied to each VIP toilet by
way of a backpack spray. In the short space of time that we were there, a change
in sludge level was already observed.
Additional dosages 50mℓ will be applied to each toilet on a weekly basis. This is
the standard dosage as detailed in the BioPower business plan.

3. Monitoring

The five (5) treated toilets will be monitored weekly – at the same time the
weekly dosages will be added. A feedback report will be sent through after each
treatment, indicating actual figures and photos, for the duration of the pilot (4
weeks)

4. Baseline Photos

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P Toilets (Day 1: 28 July 2015)

 VIP # 01

o Members of the Household....……………………………………………………..2

o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………………300 mm
o Sludge Level from the top (3 weeks later)…………………………450 mm
 VIP # 02

o Members of the Household……………………………………………………….. 3

o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………………100 mm
o Sludge Level from the top……………………………..…………….……600 mm
 VIP # 03

o Members of the Household……………………………………………………….. 3

o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………………200 mm
o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………….……550 mm
 VIP # 04

o Members of the Household……………………………………………………….. 4

o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………………150 mm
o Sludge Level from the top……………………………………………. …350 mm
 VIP # 05

o Members of the Household………………………………………………………. 10

o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………………….. 0 mm
o Sludge Level from the top…………………………………………….……300 mm
5. Results

Starting Depth after Depth after Depth after Depth after

# Remarks
Depth 1 Week 2 Weeks 3 Weeks 4 Weeks
Date: 2015/07/28 2015/08/06 2015/08/13 2015/08/20 2015/08/26
1 100mm 400mm 450mm 500mm 550mm 450mm drop
2 500mm 550mm 600mm 650mm 700mm 200mm drop
3 200mm 500mm 550mm 700mm 700mm 500mm drop
4 150mm 250mm 350mm 400mm 450mm 300mm drop
5 0mm 250mm 300mm 350mm 400mm 400mm drop
Average drop in sludge level: 370 mm

6. Conclusion

The 5 VIP pit latrines was treated and monitored over a period of 4 weeks.
It must be taking in consideration that the ambient temperature was between 0°
and 5°C most of the time during the trial period. It was also noted that the sludge
in the bottom half of the pits has solidified and almost impossible to be
impregnated by the BioSol SL36.
The low temperatures impedes the effectiveness of the bacteria in the BioSol SL36
which in turn slowed down the digestion process quite a lot.
In spite of these constraints, the level of all the VIP Toilets still dropped by an
average of 370mm in each toilet. (See Results Table)
Compiled by the BioPower Corporation Group technical team