University of Bath graduate and founder of The Biofactory is embarking on an £850k project to bring to life his vision for improved sanitation facilities in low income, high density communities in Africa.

Eoin Sharkey, MEng alumnus, has designed an all-in-one, off-grid toilet and waste processing system that utilises biodigestion to convert human waste into cooking fuel and soil conditioner.

The funding, which is made up of £675k from Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst Fund with the remainder coming from private investors, will enable Eoin to take his invention from a development system to a commercially viable product. The technology will initially be built and tested in Bath, before being installed at a school and community centre in Beira, Mozambique, to gather user feedback and validate their business model.

The project will be delivered alongside partners Bristol-Beira Link, ADEL Sofala and the University of West of England.

Eoin commented: “Having spent time working in refugee camps in Northern Kenya, getting to know the families and seeing the conditions first-hand, I knew this was a problem I needed to solve. Over 200,000 children die per year in Africa due to spread of disease due to poor sanitation. Our solution manages human waste from its production, right through to pathogen free and safe-to-handle output material, without the need for human contact. This is crucial as it is contact with human waste that is a leading cause of disease transmission.”

Toilet system prototype to improve sanitation facilities

The use of the Biofactory’s off-grid toilet and waste processing system has the potential to increase the welfare and quality of life for low income communities most in need. Not only will they provide dramatic improvements to sanitation, but they also provide alternative cooking fuels and facilities. Most residents of these communities rely on charcoal for cooking, which has a huge health and environmental impact. With this technology in place, users will be able to access clean biogas cooking facilities locally, reducing the time and money spent sourcing fuel.

Dominik Byrne, Project Lead at Bristol-Beira Link said: “We’re incredibly excited to be part of this project. We’ll be acting as a facilitating partner - we know the on the ground situation, we know the local communities and have established partners in the region – and can therefore introduce him to these communities more easily. The difference these toilets could make to families will be life changing.”

Below is a case study video produced by the SETsquared Partnership. It shows the important and poignant reason why Eoin Sharkey founded the company and the journey they have been on so far.

Whilst at the University of Bath, Eoin accessed business support through the student enterprise team. He was one of the winners of the Alumni Innovation Award in 2018 which included a year’s membership at SETsquared Bath. This meant he could access all of the services available through the centre such as pitch and investor readiness and mentoring, as well as access to experts in residence, such as lawyers, accountants and tax advisors. During this funded year, Eoin kept a blog of his experiences as an entrepreneur which you can read here.

Siobain Hone, Graduate Enterprise Manager at the University of Bath said: “We saw Eoin’s potential immediately and were able to provide him with the crucial support he needed in those early days of starting a business whilst he was still a student here with us in Bath. Beyond the clear health and environmental benefits, this technology has a huge role to play in improving gender equality and social inclusion, so it’s fantastic to see the business go on to flourish.”

The Biofactory team has also received significant support from SETsquared – the Global no. 1 University Business Incubator - and enterprise partnership of which the University of Bath is a member, alongside Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey.

They took part in SETsquared’s Graduate Acceleration Showcase (now called GradInvest) event in 2019 which gave them a platform to pitch to investors, mentors and accelerator managers. They still receive regular support from the team at SETsquared Bath Centre and recently took part in a 2-day workshop and one-to -one mentoring as part of the fully-funded Sustainable Technologies Business Acceleration Hub.

Member News | The Biofactory is harnessing the power of poo with £850k