Mechanical properties of faecal sludge

On-site sanitation facilities contribute to the majority of toilet facilities in developing countries as full waterborne sanitation is not feasible or affordable. The characteristics of faecal sludge vary greatly between different locations and types of onsite sanitation facilities and at the same time their understanding is crucial for improvement of the existing faecal sludge management services. The Pollution Research Group (PRG), within the School of Chemical Engineering in the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal have been focussing on the analysis of faecal sludge from different on-site sanitation, such as urine diversion and dehydration toilets, wet and dry ventilated improved pit latrines at household and community levels and unimproved pit latrines. This study was undertaken between 2012 and 2014 and focussed on the characteristics of faecal sludge obtained from different on-site sanitation facilities in the Durban metro area in South Africa. Sampling methods were developed and applied for different depth levels of the pits for each on-site sanitation facility. The analysis followed the PRG standard operation procedures for properties such as: moisture content, total solids, ash content, pH, chemical oxygen demand, density, nutrient contents and thermal properties.