LaundReCycle South Africa
A Water- and Energy Self-sufficient Laundromat
Description
Day Zero - that's how the day was called when the city of Cape Town, Sout Africa would run out of water during the water crisis in 2018. Only due to strict water-saving regulations, Day Zero was avoided. Since then, it is clearer than ever; South Africa needs urgent investments in infrastructure and the development of new solutions. This is where the project LaundReCycle comes in. In cooperation with the South African partners, the research group Ecological Engineering develops a water- and energy self-sufficient Laundromat. The system does not require any power, fresh- or wastewater connection. Within the resource-efficient treatment process, the wastewater of the washing machine is filtered, skimmed, biologically cleaned and directly reused for the next laundry. Water losses are compensated with rainwater. The energy for the washing machine and pumps is supplied by solar power. As part of the federally funded REPIC project, the goal is to further develop this innovation in South Africa towards a marketable solution.
Key Data
Projectlead
Deputy Projectlead
Prof. Dr. Ranka Junge
Project team
Nadine Antenen, Matthias Frei, Bernard Wessels
Project partners
Water Rescue; Khulisa Social Solutions
Project status
completed, 02/2019 - 12/2022
Funding partner
REPIC
Project budget
300'000 CHF