Photos 1&2 show DRDO-developed bio-digseter units on railways coaches and photo 3, the unit. Photos: DRDO
By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week |
Bangalore | India | August 02, 2010
A newly developed eco-friendly bio-toilet is all set to go commercial on Indian Railways coaches.
The human waste disposal system, called a bio-digester, was developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO’s) Gwalior-based Defense Research and Development Establishment (DRDE).
According to DRDO sources, DRDE was approached in 2003 by the Lucknow-based Research Design and Standard Organization (RDSO) to work on the project for Indian Railways. The DRDE laboratory began developing a microbial consortium for biodegradation in a wide range of temperatures (5-45°C), as well as the selection of a suitable immobilization matrix for efficiency improvement and optimization of waste/hydraulic retention time (HRT).
Based on laboratory findings and the space available underneath a railway coach, a digester was designed and fabricated that underwent trials at DRDE in Gwalior. The digester was tested by 40-50 soldiers simulating conditions on a stationary Indian Railways coach.
