Open Student Projects

In the course of the project, the student will be responsible for: - System Monitoring and Characterization - Emission Analysis - Characterization of gaseous emissions - Assessment of environmental and health implications of uncontrolled or incomplete pyrolysis processes - Identification of simple strategies for emission mitigation - Safety assessment - System optimization

The master project aims to monitor, analyze, and evaluate small-scale pyrolysis systems operating in KNUST. The project combines field work, experimental monitoring, and system analysis to identify process optimization potentials for safe, clean, and economically viable pyrolysis operation in informal or small-scale contexts.

This research looks for a Masters-level mechanical engineering/environmental engineering student with skills (Arduino) programming, sensor installation, and ideally pyrolysis. Interested and qualified students are invited to contact Dr. Mareike Thiedeitz (thiedeitz@ibi.baug.ethz.ch).

The project follows a participatory approach with hospital staff and local engineers, encompassing joint planning, construction, implementation, and capacity building. This involves both the proper operation of the incinerator and the practical application of the developed waste management system. In the project, the student will be responsible for: - Mapping and analysis of existing waste flows and types of waste throughout the facility. - Implementation of a waste segregation system, including designated shelters, bins and containers for each type of medical waste (e.g., single plastic, sharps, biological, pharmaceutical, etc.). - Staff training programs to build awareness and competence in waste handling and segregation. - Development of waste management guidelines, for segregating, storing, and transporting medical waste within the hospital also for trainings for new staff members. - Creation of incinerator usage handbook for safe, efficient operation and maintenance of the new incinerator, including the final ash handling and storage. - Develop technical customized design for chambers, air circulation systems and optimal capacity, size of ash pit etc. according to data collected in Work Package 1. Develop technical drawings and material lists, with material properties based on availability in Uganda. - Construction of new incinerator and sealed concrete ash pit on site. - Commissioning of new incinerator, test runs, temperature monitoring.

The student will be responsible for developing a waste management and segregation system in compliance with local regulations and in collaboration with local engineers and hospital staff. As part of this system, an incinerator tailored to the specific needs of Kiwoko Hospital will be designed using locally available materials. The project begins with a needs assessment and an analysis of the current waste flow to establish a hospital wide segregation system that can be implemented in practice. The planned incinerator will be constructed on site, and training sessions will be conducted to ensure proper use and integration of the system.

This research looks for a master-level mechanical engineering/environmental engineering student with technical and engineering skills, construction and practical skills, project management skills and a willingness to work in a complex environment. Interested and qualified students are invited to contact Dr. Jakub Tkaczuk (jtkaczuk@ethz.ch).

The proposed test site, the Warwick transport hub and shopping market in eThekwini Municipality (Durban), has the highest throughput of people in the City every day. The existing sanitation infrastructure in the area is in very poor condition and all municipal toilet blocks have been closed for several years. Urination in public areas by men is widespread with the result that the environment is unhygienic and unpleasant. Women who work in the area have in the most part resorted to using buckets while attempting to screen themselves from the public. This situation is not safe or hygienic for these women and the disposal of the urine in stormwater drains contributes significantly to pollution of the environment. In addition, the public spaces are used extensively for informal livelihoods and thus a degraded public environment is having a serious economic impact on these informal businesses. The NGO, Asiye eTafuleni which has been working in the Warwick area for several decades has responded to the crisis by building a number of informal male urinals for testing and operation by local entrepreneurs. The urine from these informal urinals is collected in twenty litre drums which when full are disposed of in local stormwater drains. Although the informal urinals have significantly improved the public spaces, the disposal of urine to stormwater drains contributes significantly to the pollution of the environment as these drains ultimately end up in the sea or other stormwater collection points.

In the course of the project, the student will: - Engage with all stakeholders on sanitation status quo and inputs - Design new male and female prototypes - Identify potential fabricators and finalise selection of prototypes and materials - Fabricate prototype – 1 male and 1 female - Deploy and evaluate prototype 1 to field - Modify and design prototype 2 for male and female - Fabricate prototype 2 male and female - Deploy and evaluate prototype 2 to field - Fabricate 5 male and 5 female urinals for rollout and integration with the operations of the proposed fertiliser plant

This research looks for a master’s project-level mechanical or process engineer with skills in design and fabrication, and who is interested in low-cost, contextually appropriate solutions. Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact Dr. Jakub Tkaczuk (jtkaczuk@ethz.ch).

In the course of the project, the student will be responsible for: - Redesigning/improving the metal toilet mold for easier and more precise removal (previous versions were difficult to remove and prone to breaking). - Building the mold in Cape Maclear using local materials and working with local craftsmen. - Producing and installing the toilets along with associated infrastructure (plumbing). - Participating in the building of a toilet block in a flood-prone, sandy environment (a beach).

The goal of this project is to improve the design of the EOOS toilet mold, cast and produce concrete toilets, and construct a safe, hygienic toilet block for the fisherman’s village.

This research looks for a master-level civil, environmental, or mechanical engineering student with skills in manufacturing, construction, teamwork, and cultural sensitivity. Approximately 3 months will be spent in Malawi. Interested and qualified students are invited to contact Dr. Jakub Tkaczuk (jtkaczuk@ethz.ch).

The goal of this project is to design, build, and use a machine for cutting and folding metal cans into fencing material. The machine must be low-cost, made locally, and user-friendly. We expect the student to produce several hundred meters of fencing using the stockpile of cans available in the town.

In the course of the project, the student will be responsible for: - Taking inspiration from origami to design a machine for folding and linking metal from cans. - Building the machine in Cape Maclear using local materials and working with local craftsmen. - Producing and installing the fencing with local farmers.

This research looks for a master-level mechanical engineering student with skills in manufacturing, origami, teamwork, and cultural sensitivity. Approximately 3 months will be spent in Malawi. Interested and qualified students are invited to contact Dr. Jakub Tkaczuk (jtkaczuk@ethz.ch).

In the course of the project, the student will be responsible for: - Designing and developing PCBs from scratch for simple bicycle lights. - Designing and improving the moulds for injection moulding with recycled plastic. - Establishing the manufacturing process for bicycle lights in Blantyre, Malawi.

The goal of this work is to design a simple PCB for front and rear bicycle lights using rechargeable batteries and to design and test the injection mould for manufacturing the casing of bicycle lights from recycled plastic (HDPE or PP).

This research includes a 3-month-long-stay in Blantyre, Malawi and looks for a master-level mechanical engineering student with skills in mechanical design, problem-solving, electroncis, and prototyping. Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact Dr. Jakub Tkaczuk (jtkaczuk@ethz.ch).

In the course of the project, the student will be responsible for: - Writing backend solution for IoT devices sending carbon credit information. - Developing streamlined updating of https certiciates for IoT devices. - Implementing open-source front-end for data visualization.

This work should propose a solution based on cloud architecture, such as Amazon AWS, to provide a server and a database for data acquisition and storage from IoT devices. On top of the above, cyclically updated https certificates should be provided to devices for encrypted communication.

This research looks for a master-level software engineering student with skills in server setup, IoT, https certificates. Interested and qualified students are invited to contact Dr. Jakub Tkaczuk (jtkaczuk@ethz.ch).