Civilian servant in fecal sludge dewatering

Topic Nearly half of the world’s population relies on non-sewered sanitation. In urban areas of low-income countries, dilute wastewater is stored at the source of generation (referred to as fecal sludge), prior to energy-intensive transport by road to treatment. Established solutions for solid-liquid separation (dewatering) rely on passive technologies that require a large footprint, and in urban areas, land is scarce and expensive. Hence, dewatering is the missing link in the fecal sludge treatment chain. Alternative low footprint dewatering solutions used in sewer-based wastewater treatment are expensive, not adapted for fecal sludge, and require continual supply of energy.
In collaboration with GOAL, a humanitarian response agency, we are piloting a low-energy, low-footprint dewatering technology in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The technology consists of open-source sensor technology, bio-based flocculants and a locally manufactured, manually operated dewatering press. Piloting this technology will provide the required data for scaling to similar contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa and globally. 
We are looking for a civilian servant  to support piloting of the low-energy, low-footprint dewatering technology in Freetown, Sierra Leone together with our project partner GOAL. 
Objectives and responsibilities: Support construction of fecal sludge dewatering pilot plant Support local manufacturing of dewatering press technology  Operate dewatering pilot plant and analyze wastewater samples   Candidates for this position should have the following qualifications: 
Technical apprenticeship, or study background in engineering or natural science Swiss citizenship with a requirement to complete at least 150 days of civilian service Interest in wastewater treatment  Ability to work independently, manage own time, and take own initiative  Fluency in English (spoken and written)  Capability to collaborate with research partners and stakeholders  Willingness to work abroad for 4-5 months  Duration  Six months, earliest starting date is 1 June 2024 
Place of work  1-2 months at Eawag in Dübendorf, Switzerland, and 4-5 months in Freetown, Sierra Leone. 
Supervision Mr Michael Vogel and Dr Linda Strande (Eawag). 
For further information , please contact Michael Vogel via . 

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