Situated in Isipingo in Durban, this site serves as a collaborative research project on the codigestion of industrial effluents with sewage sludge (WRC K5/2001). In this project, small scale experiments conducted in the Pollution Research Group laboratory are used to develop models on co-digestion that are then applied to the bigger anaerobic tank onsite.
This research facility includes a lab in which small digesters are used to calibrate the big tank and carry out daily tests of the mechanical and chemical properties of the samples. The research conducted is shared between EWS workers and Pollution Research Group researchers and masters students. The data collected will inform the eThekwini Municipality on the feasibility of scaling up this process in other treatment works to treat effluent and generate biogas.