The main goal of this project is to develop new sustainable sanitation concepts which have significant advantages in relation to ecological as well as to economical aspects compared to the conventional systems (end-of-pipe-system). After successful project completion the new sanitation concepts should be used in Berlin areas, where sewer systems are not installed and these concepts are appropriate, as well as other locations (national and international). The technical management of the project has been achieved as foreseen, but the administrative project manger has changed in July 2005 since the head of the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water has changed. All technical equipments, besides of the bio-gas plant, are realised. The bio-gas plant will be installed about the end of 2005. In contrary to the EU-proposal the concept with vacuum separation toilets has been installed for technical reasons in the office building instead in the apartment house. Before installing of these toilets gravity separation toilets have been operated for 1 ½ years. Furthermore not in 15 but in 10 flats of the apartment house was it possible to install gravity separation toilets. The addition tasks Life-Cycle-Assessment (Task 5), Industrial style urine treatment for utilization (Task 7) and Fertiliser usage (Task 8) undertaken by different Universities are in the works. The users accept the separation toilets in general, but more the gravity than the vacuum separation toilets. Both have to be improved, especially the flush. The worse assessment for the vacuum separation toilets was expected since they are altered gravity separation toilets. An optimised vacuum separation toilet is not available on the market at present. The results from the faeces separator show that far the most solids can be retained in the filter bags, but there is still a high solids-concentration in the filtrate. For huge settlements a different, continuously working separator is necessary. Due to the high solid concentration in the faecal filtrate the soil filter as a pre-treatment step was blocked very soon and went out of operation. With the 2-chamber septic tank for greywater and faecal filtrate treatment an effluent quality could be obtained which does not lead to clogging of the downstream constructed wetland. The results of the constructed wetland are as expected. From the work of Task 5 and the experiments of Task 7 no reliable results are available until now. The experiments of Task 8 show that the fertilising results from the urine are similar with those from mineral fertilisers. Until the end of the project the different tasks will continue. The digestion of the faeces from the vacuum separation toilets with the bio-gas plant will start in January 2006. In relation to the financial issues 790,482 € (51 %) of the total eligible costs of 1,552,116 € and 1,230,640 € (55 %) of the total real costs of 2,223,474 € respectively have been spent until now. Herewith, the 30 % threshold of the total real costs is transcended.
SCST, Technical interim report 2005