Faecal sludge emptying in Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia: A systematic review of emptying technology choices, challenges, and improvement initiatives

The emptying and transport of faecal sludge (FS) is a fundamental aspect of the sanitation service chain and is mostly carried out by private operators who usually face a lot of challenges. Our review assessed how influencing factors and challenges FS emptiers face are linked and in turn how they act as barriers to improvement initiatives. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed journals on FS emptying in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia published between January 2002 and December 2021. Amongst the 37 journals reviewed, accessibility was mostly documented (n = 18) as a factor which affected choice of emptying method, followed by cost (n = 14), quality of service (n = 13) and then sludge thickness (n = 8). We grouped the types of challenges identified from the publications into five categories of financial, technical and institutional (n = 14, each), followed by health (n = 12) and then social challenges (n = 8). Discussions on initiatives (n = 13) used to improve the emptying business were limited to Cost/affordability of sanitation services and access to finance by FS emptiers, which were noted to be the major barriers to effective implementation of these strategies. This review identified the need for sensitizing the public on FS emptying, financial modelling of manual emptying business and a need to study the relationship between perceptions and emptying behavior of users

Biochar and Its Potential Application for the Improvement of the Anaerobic Digestion Process: A Critical Review

Poor management of organic waste is a key environmental and public health issue as it contributes to environmental contamination and the spread of diseases. Anaerobic digestion (AD) presents an efficient method for organic waste management while generating energy and nutrient-rich digestate. However, the AD process is limited by key factors, which include process inefficiencies from substrate-induced instability, poor quality digestate, and poor management of effluent and emissions. Lately, there has been more interest in the use of biochar for improving anaerobic digestion. Biochar can improve methane production by speeding up the methanogenesis stage, protecting microorganisms from toxic shocks, and reducing inhibition from ammonia and volatile fatty acids. It can be applied for in situ cleanup of biogas to remove carbon dioxide. Applying biochar in AD is undergoing intensive research and development; however, there are still unresolved factors and challenges, such as the influence of feedstock source and pyrolysis on the performance of biochar when it is added to the AD process. In light of these considerations, this review sheds more light on various potential uses of biochar to complement or improve the AD process. This review also considers the mechanisms through which biochar enhances methane production rate, biochar’s influence on the resulting digestate, and areas for future research

Application of black soldier fly larvae in decentralized treatment of faecal sludge from pit latrines in informal settlements in Kampala city

Introduction: Faecal sludge management (FSM) in urban areas of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) is not properly implemented due to inaccessibility of sanitation facilities and high faecal sludge (FS) emptying costs, amongst others. Unlike in solid waste and fresh human excreta, use of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in treatment of FS from pit latrines - which are the most common sanitation facilities in urban areas of LMICs - has not yet been explored. Moreover, the optimal conditions for efficient FS degradation, such as moisture content, feeding rate and larval density are not yet well known. Against this backdrop, the overarching aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of BSFL in treating FS under different conditions of moisture content, feeding rate and larval density. Also, the quality of residue left after treatment was assessed.Methods: FS samples were collected from lined and unlined pit latrines in Bwaise I parish in Kampala, Uganda and experiments were set up to feed 10-day old larvae.Results and Discussion: The optimum feeding rate, larval density and moisture content were found to be 50 mg/larvae/day, 1.33 larvae/cm2 and 60%, respectively. The reduction efficiency at optimum conditions were 72% and 66% for FS from lined and unlined pit latrines, respectively. It was further noted that BSFL can feed on FS from pit latrines without dewatering it, hence there is no need for a dewatering unit. The properties of the residue left after treatment were within the allowable limit for use as compost except for helminth egg concentration. Thus, in informal urban settlements, BSFL can be applied for effective treatment of FS from pit latrines while generating good quality residue thereby providing an additional value chain in FSM

The case for shared sanitation access in informal settlements: A dialogue on science, policy, and practice integration

Achieving universal access to adequate and equitable sanitation is a major challenge in many parts of the world. In 2022, approximately 1.5 billion people lacked basic sanitation services, with 419 million practicing open defecation. The problem is acute among the 881 million residents of urban informal settlements around the world. People in these settings commonly live in crowded neighborhoods without sufficient space for individual household toilets. The majority are renters or squatters, leaving them powerless to make any development decisions. A household sanitation facility, which is considered a tenet for safely managed sanitation can be unfeasible under such conditions. The most immediate viable sanitation option in these settings is shared toilets

Impacts of climate and land use/cover change on mini-hydropower generation in River Kyambura watershed in South Western part of Uganda

This study explored the combined impacts of climate and land-use change on mini-hydropower generation in the Kyambura watershed. The soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) was used as a hydrological model whereas the statistical downscaling model (SDSM) was used to downscale meteorological data for the Kyambura watershed for the year 2050. The results show that there will be an increase in urban land by 11.89%, barren land by 25.78%, water by 0.49% and a reduction in percentage area coverage of vegetation by 38.17% by the year 2050. A 10.6 and 17.7% increase is anticipated in average annual hydropower generated by the year 2050. There is, therefore, a need to develop governing policies to regulate management practices to preserve the integrity of the watersheds and ensure the reliability of power production. HIGHLIGHTS Quantifies LULC changes within the Kyambura catchment from 1989 to 2019.; Predicts and quantifies LULC changes within the Kyambura catchment by the year 2050.; Predicts the changes in climate, stream flows and Hydropower generation within the Kyambura catchment by the year 2050.; Elucidates on the impacts of climate and Land use/cover change on mini-hydropower generation.

Evaluation of Business Models for Fecal Sludge Emptying and Transport in Informal Settlements of Kampala, Uganda

Various business models for fecal sludge emptying and transport have been developed to address challenges and their advantages have been documented; however, their evaluation has not been investigated. This study developed an evaluation framework, which was tested in informal settlements in Kampala for sustainable business models of fecal sludge emptying and transport. Through key informant interviews and stakeholder consultations, service delivery challenges from informal settlements in Kampala were identified and included in the framework, which were: high cost of emptying services, spillages, access to facilities, high operational costs and social stigma. The evaluation framework adopted six service criteria: Financial, Institutional, Environmental, Technological, Social and Scalability; these were further defined by fifteen service sub-criteria. The criteria were tested separately on eight business models—for mechanized (cesspool) and semi-mechanized (gulper) technologies. The key output of the evaluation framework (business model scorecard) revealed that two models (scheduled desludging and call center) for cesspool technology and three models (mobile transfer stations, scheduled desludging and call center) for gulper technology have high potential for service improvement in informal settlements. Scheduled desludging and mobile transfer stations can effectively optimize emptying services and subsequently reduce emptying charges, whereas the call center is critical for bridging service delivery.BT/Environmental Biotechnolog

Cross-country analysis of faecal sludge dewatering

Dewatering of faecal sludge (FS) is indispensable for adequate FS management. However, comprehensive knowledge is lacking on FS dewatering performance. This study compared the dewatering performance of FS from different countries and onsite sanitation technologies, to assess influential characteristics on dewatering, and to compare dewatering performance of FS with wastewater sludge. We collected 73 FS samples from septic tanks, lined pit latrines, unlined pit latrines and johkasou tanks in Uganda, Vietnam and Japan, and 18 samples of wastewater sludge in Switzerland. Capillary suction time (CST) and total solids (TS) of centrifuged sludge (%TSfinal) were determined as metrics of dewatering rate and dewaterability, respectively, together with relevant sludge characteristics. Data were analysed by bootstrapping comparison of median results of each sample category and by bootstrapping multiple regression analysis to quantify the relative importance of sludge characteristics on dewatering performance. Results showed that the dewatering rate was significantly different between FS from different technologies, whereas dewaterability was significantly different within the same technology. FS had a significantly lower dewatering rate than wastewater sludge. In contrast, FS dewaterability was greater than wastewater sludge. However, this could be attributed to higher concentrations of sand in FS. Electrochemical properties such as NH4-N and surface charge had the strongest correlation to dewatering rate, and solid properties such as sand content and total volatile solids to dewaterability. The results identify potential characteristics that could explain and predict the high variability of FS dewatering performance that is observed in the field