Imperial College London
Alternate

Professor Michael Templeton

Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor of Public Health Engineering
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 6099m.templeton

 
 
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Assistant

 

Miss Judith Barritt +44 (0)20 7594 5967

 
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Location

 

303Skempton BuildingSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Krueger:2021:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111658,
author = {Krueger, BC and Fowler, GD and Templeton, MR},
doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111658},
journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},
title = {Critical analytical parameters for faecal sludge characterisation informing the application of thermal treatment processes},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111658},
volume = {280},
year = {2021}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Thermal processes for the treatment of faecal sludge such as pyrolysis or combustion offer complete destruction of pathogens, whilst allowing for energy and nutrient recovery. The development of such processes is currently constrained by a lack of knowledge on thermally relevant faecal sludge characteristics. This study investigated thirty faecal sludge samples from three sanitation technologies (ventilated improved pit latrines (VIP), urine diverting dry toilets (UD), septic tanks (ST)) and compared these by non-parametric statistical analysis. A focus was placed on parameters necessary for thermal process development and recoverable nutrient concentrations. The relevant characteristics ranged widely within technology groups. Calorific values and ash concentrations of 2.1–25.7 MJ/kg and 9.5–88.4% were observed for STs, of 9.2–13.9 MJ/kg and 40.9–61.5% for VIPs and of 3.9–18.1 MJ/kg and 18.8–81.3% for UDs. These two parameters show a strong linear inverse correlation and determine the minimum dewatering requirements from which a net energy recovery may be possible. Results suggest that more than 90% of samples can meet these requirements following commonly used dewatering technologies. A comparison across technologies provided strong evidence that the faecal sludge source significantly influences sludge composition, emphasized by higher median ratios of fixed carbon to volatile matter in VIPs (0.23) and UDs (0.23) compared to STs (0.15). The sanitation technology also influenced recoverable nutrient concentrations, with phosphorus and potassium concentrations generally ranging between 5.8–49.2 g/kg and 1.4–26.1 g/kg respectively. Compared to STs, median concentrations of phosphorus and potassium in VIPs were 3.4 and 3.8 times higher respectively, and 3.0 and 8.8 times higher in UDs. The findings highlight the importance of considering the faecal sludge source in the development of thermal treatment processes. This stud
AU  - Krueger,BC
AU  - Fowler,GD
AU  - Templeton,MR
DO  - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111658
PY  - 2021///
SN  - 0301-4797
TI  - Critical analytical parameters for faecal sludge characterisation informing the application of thermal treatment processes
T2  - Journal of Environmental Management
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111658
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/85370
VL  - 280
ER  -
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