St Andrew’s takes first step to going off-grid
This week St Andrew’s College took possession of the first Biopipe Africa biological water recycling system to be installed on the African continent.
Biopipe was founded by a group of entrepreneurs whose mission was to develop the world’s first biological wastewater treatment that does not produce sludge. Patented in more than 55 countries, Biopipe is the world’s first biological wastewater treatment system in which the process takes place entirely within a series of pipes. The system is the result of years of research that led to the development of one of the most sustainable, eco- friendly, and cost-effective wastewater treatment solutions in the world. The Biopipe produces no sludge, no odour, no sound, and no waste and the system is fully automated and selfcontained.
St Andrews College’s sustainability goal is to be off-grid by the year 2030. The school has set this ambitious goal with the understanding that it has a responsibility to the environment in which it operates. The installation of the Biopipe plant is the first tangible step in reaching the school’s sustainability goals, and allows wastewater to be recycled and reused on campus, thereby alleviating some of the pressure on scarce local water resources. Future stages of the strategy will include the incremental installation of solar power solutions and other green technologies.
This project was conceived early in
2019 through a collaboration between Practical Water Solutions and the school’s Environmental Club. The pilot project takes 30kl/day of wastewater (grey and black water) from various boarding houses, the school’s dining hall and staff housing to recover it on site to irrigation standard. It was approved by Makana Municipality in 2019.
Malcolm van Bergen, head of the sustainability portfolio at St Andrew’s, together with Grade 10 learners Ayomideji