Microwaving human faecal sludge as a viable sanitation technology option for treatment and value recovery - A critical review.
The prolonged challenges and terrible consequences of poor sanitation, especially in developing economies, call for the exploration of new sustainable sanitation technologies. Such technologies must be: capable of effectively treating human faecal wastes without any health or environmental impacts; scalable to address rapid increases in population and urbanization; capable of meeting environmental regulations and standards for faecal management; and competitive with existing strategies. Further and importantly, despite its noxiousness and pathogenic load, the chemical composition of human faecal sludge indicates that it could be considered a potentially valuable, nutrient-rich renewable resource, rather than a problematic waste product. New approaches to faecal sludge management must consequently seek to incorporate a 'valuable resource recovery' approach, compatible with stringent treatment requirements. This review intends to advance the understanding of human faecal sludge as a sustainable organic-rich resource that is typically high in moisture (up to 97 per cent), making it a suitable candidate for dielectric heating, i.e. microwave irradiation, to promote faecal treatment, while also recovering value-added products such as ammonia liquor concentrate (suitable for fertilizers) and chars (suitable for fuel) - which can provide an economic base to sustain the technology. Additionally, microwaving human faecal sludge represents a thermally effective approach that can destroy pathogens, eradicate the foul odour associated human faecal sludge, while also preventing hazardous product formations and/or emissions, aside from other benefits such as improved dewaterability and heavy metals recovery. Key technological parameters crucial for scaling the technology as a complementary solution to the challenges of onsite sanitation are also discussed.
School of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK. Electronic address: o.o.d.afolabi2@lboro.ac.uk.
Oluwasola O D
OOD
Afolabi
School of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
M
M
Sohail
D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000737:chemistry*; D008872:Microwaves; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D018505:Waste Management
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012722:Sewage
Human faecal sludge; Low- and middle-income countries; Microwave; Resource recovery; Sanitation; Waste management