Application of Process Intensification in the Treatment of Pit Latrine Sludge from Informal Settlements in Blantyre City, Malawi

Many developing countries lack the infrastructure needed for the treatment of fecal sludge. One limitation in implementing available treatment options is the limited availability of land in the urban areas of these countries. This paper investigated the application of process intensification as a wa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2020-05, Vol.17 (9), p.3296
Main Authors: Kalulu, Khumbo, Thole, Bernard, Mkandawire, Theresa, Kululanga, Grant
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Additives
Costs
Design
Developing countries
Dewatering
Drying
Feces
Laboratories
Land area
Latrines
LDCs
Process intensification
Sanitation
Sludge
Sludge treatment
Standard deviation
Studies
Urban areas
Water treatment
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Many developing countries lack the infrastructure needed for the treatment of fecal sludge. One limitation in implementing available treatment options is the limited availability of land in the urban areas of these countries. This paper investigated the application of process intensification as a way of reducing the land area required to dewater and sanitize pit latrine sludge from informal settlements in Blantyre City, Malawi. The intensification of the sludge treatment process was achieved by enhancing dewatering through the application of additives and by combining the dewatering and sanitization stages. Nine combinations of sludge, lime and rice husk dosages, in addition to a control, were simultaneously loaded on unplanted drying bed units to dewater for 29 days. The study found a significant reduction of 21% to 73% in the land area required to dewater and sanitize pit latrine sludge. From the study, process intensification was shown to have the potential to significantly reduce the land area required to dewater and sanitize pit latrine sludge from informal settlements in Malawi cities. This makes it an option that can be implemented close to informal settlements, despite land limitation in these areas.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph17093296