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Team EPIWATER

Rice University Capstone Engineering

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Bringing Wastewater-

Based Epidemiology to Ibadan

// Team EpiWater 2021

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Current COVID Surveillance is Limited in Nigeria

From the months of March 2020 - April 2021, 1.8 million people (0.85% of total pop.) were tested for COVID-19.

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Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) can indicate COVID-19 burden in a community

Figure 1: Studying sewage for public health information is known as Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).

// Team EpiWater 2021

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Ibadan Presents Unique Challenges that Limit Current Technologies

Challenges	Limitations
Ibadan is a low-resource setting	Wastewater samplers are costly (≥ $5,962 ⁵)
Unreliable power sources	Wastewater samplers rely on stable power sources

// Team EpiWater 2021

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02

Create a wastewater collection system

Low-resource settings
Provide supplementary data to community

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Affordability (<$500)
Portability
Ability to function on sustainable energy

// Team EpiWater 2021

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// Team EpiWater 2021

Design Specification	Method of Measurement	Target Value
Maintain viability of samples	Average temperature inside device during a 24 hour period.	4^oC
Run on sustainable energy	Duration of time sustainable energy source can power the device.	> 3 weeks
Portable	Dry Weight and Volume	Dry Weight: 22 kg Volume: 0.168 m³
Durable	IP Rating	Dust: 5 Waterproofing: 4
User Friendly	User-Defined Scale	3.5

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Design Constraints

Design Constraints	Method of Measurement	Target Value
Cost Effective	Cost of Raw Materials (Dollars)	<$500
Volume of Sample Collected	Liters	0.5 L < x < 2 L
Local Materials	Percentage of materials imported into Ibadan outside a radius of 200 miles	< 30%

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Design Overview

// Team EpiWater 2021

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Demonstration

Here is a demonstration of our device. The user begins by turning on the device and selecting how much wastewater they want to collect per collection event. Currently, we have it set to sample once every 1.5 hours. In its current iteration, the device accomplishes the majority of the design specifications and constraints discussed previously. The styrofoam cooler used is able to maintain the temperature of the collected water at a temperature of four degrees Celsius or less for a period of time exceeding 24 hours. In preliminary tests, the mounted solar panel, is able to increase the voltage of the battery, showing that it is charging it efficiently. The device has come in at 39 lbs, and is currently only 0.02 cubic meters over the volume we desired. Finally, the compact plastic shell of the cooler is able to prevent the majority of dust ingress from getting into the device and is able to prevent water from seeping in (after leaving it in the rain). Finally, initial scores with user testing show that our device is user friendly. When using price points from the United States, the cost of making one of this sampler is $471; after composite sampling testing, we are able to collect between 0.5 and 2L of water. Finally, a majority of parts that go into the construction of this project are able to be obtained from Jumia, a common online realtor that operates in Nigeria.

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Our device will be able to help alleviate the gap in COVID data in Ibadan, improve Ibadan’s COVID-surveillance processes, and ultimately the health and quality of life of Ibadan’s citizens.

// Team EpiWater 2021