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Faecal sludge treatment by vermifiltration: proof of concept

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conference contribution
posted on 2018-02-12, 15:10 authored by Claire Furlong, Walter T. Gibson, R. Patankar, S. Savant, A. Oak
The objective of this study was to determine if composting worms and their cocoons are able to survive in and digest faecal sludge. Eighteen vermifilters with different worm and cocoon densities were set-up, fed with faecal sludge (from portable pour-flush toilets) and ran for 38 days. Samples of the sludge, effluent and vermicompost were analysed for pH, total solids, chemical oxygen demand, faecal coliforms and Ascaris spp. number and viability. Worm and vermicompost mass, and cocoon numbers were assessed at the end of this period. It was found that the composting worms survived in these conditions and cocoons hatched. The validity of the sludge analysis results are questioned in this paper and without these results only estimates of effluent treatment and solids conversion could be made. Although this study was not completely definitive it has shown that worms are capable of converting faecal sludge into vermicompost and cocoons hatch in its presence. This trial was undertaken in India.

History

School

  • Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Research Unit

  • Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)

Published in

WEDC Conference

Citation

FURLONG, C. ... et al, 2015. Faecal sludge treatment by vermifiltration: proof of concept. IN: Shaw, R.J. (ed). Water, sanitation and hygiene services beyond 2015 - Improving access and sustainability: Proceedings of the 38th WEDC International Conference, Loughborough, UK, 27-31 July 2015, 7pp.

Publisher

© WEDC, Loughborough University

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Publication date

2015

Notes

This is a conference paper.

Other identifier

WEDC_ID:22172

Language

  • en

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    WEDC 38th International Conference

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