title: An investigation of organic compounds in night soil and the treated water by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: Although the rates of removal of BOD and other indicators have been studied for the evaluation of night soil treatment plant, there is no report about organic compounds. In order to identify trace amounts of organic compounds in night soil treatment plant at each process stage, the organic compounds in the night soil and in the treated water were subjected to anaerobic methods and analyzed by gas chromatography--mass spectrometry. Cholesterol and coprostanol as fecal sterols, indoles as odor substances and dichlorobenzene, cresol and phenol as disinfectants used in toilets were identified in the sample of night soil. As a result of anaerobic treatment the fecal sterols were degraded, oxindole remained, and phenylacetic acid was identified as a metabolite from tryptophan. These organic compounds were completely degraded by the aerobic treatment when phthalates and adipate were identified in the effluent.
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated / Q000032:analysis; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006846:Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; D012722:Sewage