Lessons from a pilot co-composting plant in Kumasi, Ghana

Lessons from a pilot co-composting plant in Kumasi, Ghan

Material flow analysis as a tool for environmental sanitation planning in Viet Tri, Vietnam

New environmental sanitation approaches must be developed in response to the need for more sustainable water and nutrient management. This paper illustrates how the method of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) can be applied to assess measures aiming at optimizing nitrogen recovery through improved excreta management in Viet Tri, Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the application of MFA could be rendered more affordable for planners and decision-makers in developing countries confronted with poor data availability and quality. The analysis of the Viet Tri case indicates that a tool containing a database and assisting MFA users in determining which parameters should be determined with which accuracy (sensitivity analysis) would enable planners to optimise their data collection plan. This would help planners with limited means apply MFA as time requirement and cost for data collection would be reduced

Efficiency of Helminth eggs removal in dewatered faecal sludge by co-composting

This study aimed at investigating helminth eggs removal efficiency in dewatered faecal sludge (FS) co-composted with organic solid waste as related to the turning frequency. A mixture of fresh public toilet sludge and septage mixed in a ratio of 1:2 was dewatered on a drying bed. Biosolids with initial load of 25-83 helminth eggs/g TS was mixed with solid waste as bulking material in a volume ratio of 1:2 for co-composting. Two replicate sets of compost heaps were mounted in parallel and turned at different frequencies: i) once each 3 days, ii) once each 10 days, during the active composting period, to study the influence of the operational conditions on the compost hygienic quality. The helminth egg removal efficiency was not different for the two turning frequencies. In both setups helminth eggs were reduced from 25-83 /g TS to a, < 1-3 viable eggs/g TS level, allowing a safety reuse in agriculture