FEET · FEET (From Excreta to Energy, Transformation) / Hydrothermal carbonization as a sustainable solution for faecal waste treatment in less developed communities

FEET (From Excreta to Energy, Transformation) / Hydrothermal carbonization as a sustainable solution for faecal waste treatment in less developed communities

Enormous efforts have been made to overcome global sanitation challenges. However, around half of the global population currently lives without safely managed sanitation services. The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) situation needs particular attention, given that safe sanitation services cover only 26 % of the population. In those conditions, onsite technologies (e.g. latrines and septic tanks) provide more viable options. Without proper treatment, the faecal sludge generated from these onsite systems will most likely be disposed of in the local environment, resulting in pervasive environmental and public health risks. As a result of poor sanitation, diarrhoeal disease prevails and stands as the second leading cause of child mortality in less developed places. It causes more than 0.5 M deaths annually. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been suggested as an alternative technology for faecal waste treatment. HTC technology can provide useful carbonaceous materials from various biomasses at high yields. The outcome of HTC is a disease-free thick slurry consisting of solid particles (hydrochar) and liquid (process water). Without intensive post-treatment, these products can be utilized as fertilizer, energy source, soil amendment, adsorbent, etc. Despite its potential, the gap between the laboratory and the place in need seems still too large. Technical skills for establishing the reactor and treatment system may not be available or affordable in those places in need. To answer this challenge, this research project aims to develop a tailor-made HTC faecal waste treatment technology for LDCs. The main objectives can be presented in two themes. i) Development of a bench-scale low-cost HTC reactor (BLR). We aim to develop a tailor-made reactor and operational system for LDC conditions. A test reactor will be developed based on widely available materials and techniques. It will be tested for the selected operational condition for human waste treatment. ii) Resource recovery from the end-product of hydrothermal treatment of human waste The solid part (hydrochar) and liquid part (process water) from the end product have a wide range of potential applications. We will investigate their potential as energy and nutrient sources and adsorbents for pathogenic microorganism removal from drinking water.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union