ABSTRACT
4.2 billion people live without access to safely managed sanitation services. This report describes the field testing of an onsite prototype system designed to treat blackwater from a single flush toilet and reuse of the treated effluent for flushing. The system passes wastewater through a solid-liquid separator followed by settling tanks and granular activated carbon columns into an electrochemical reactor that oxidizes chloride salts from urine to generate chlorine to remove pathogens. The objectives of the study were to verify the functionality of the system (previously demonstrated in the laboratory) under realistic use conditions, to identify maintenance requirements, and to make a preliminary assessment of the system's user acceptability. The prototype was installed in a women's workplace and residential toilet block in Coimbatore, India, and tested over a period of 10 months. The treated water met stringent disinfection threshold for both E. coli and helminth eggs and produced a clear, colorless effluent that met or nearly met local and international discharge standards for non-sewered sanitation systems. The effluent had an average chemical oxygen demand of 81 mg/L, total suspended solids of 11 mg/L, and reduction of total nitrogen by 65%. These tests determined the recommended service lifetimes and maintenance intervals for key system components including the electrochemical cell, granular activated carbon columns, and solid-liquid separator. User feedback regarding the use of treated blackwater as flush water was positive. These findings will inform the design and implementation of next-generation systems currently under development.
ABSTRACT
Innovations that enable cost-effective and resource-conserving treatment of human waste are required for the 4.2 billion people in the world who currently lack safe and reliable sanitation services. Onsite treatment and reuse of blackwater is one strategy towards this end, greatly reducing the need to transport wastewater over long distances either via sewers or trucks. Here, we report on the field testing of a prototype onsite blackwater treatment system conducted over a period of 8â¯months. The system was connected to a women's toilet in a public communal ablution block located in an informal settlement near Durban, South Africa. Liquid waste was treated by separation and diversion of large solids, settling of suspended solids, and filtration through activated carbon prior to disinfection by electrochemical oxidation. System performance was monitored daily by measurement of chemical and physical water quality parameters onsite and confirmed by periodic detailed analysis of chemical and biological parameters at an offsite lab. Daily monitoring of system performance indicated that the effluent had minimal color and turbidity (maximum 90 Pt/Co units and 6.48 NTU, respectively), and consistent evolution of chlorine as blackwater passed through the system. Weekly offsite analysis confirmed that the system consistently inactivated pathogens (E. coli and coliforms) and reduced chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids to meet ISO 30500 category B standards. Significant reductions in total nitrogen load were also observed, though these reductions often fell short of the 70% reduction required by ISO 30500. No significant reduction in total phosphorus was observed. Maintenance requirements were identified, and the resilience of the system to restart following a prolonged shutdown was demonstrated, but significant improvements are required in the design of the solid/liquid separation mechanism for application of this system in a wiping culture.
