Approximately 7.5 billion people live presently on earth, and 2.3 billion lack access to basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines. The International Water Association estimates that 80% of all wastewater gets discharged into waterways. Untreated wastewater affects the community as easily as water flows. Toilets with septic tanks and latrines are the primary repositories for human waste today. However, the essential subsequent task of disposing that fecal sludge or septage is rarely done in a safe manner. A lack of safe, official dumping sites means this sludge and septage is discretely disposed of in water ways, pits, or drains, which affect the local health and aesthetics. The main question posed in this thesis is "What are cost effective ways to building sanitation infrastructure in developing countries?" This thesis presents a design of a decentralized system conceptualized, prototyped, and analyzed using tools of systems engineering and systems analysis. The development of a lab-scale processor is presented in this thesis. The lab scale system processes 3.5kg of 20% sludge per hour. Using a trade space analysis, the system is compared to other methods of fecal sludge processing; a decentralized method can obtain similar health results for 15-25% of the cost per person served. A systems complexity analysis was done to compare options, and then the economic implementation was analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation. The findings suggest a decentralized model is very cost effective, but not cost effective enough to be a standalone business outside of government purchase

Decentralised Sanitation and Reuse provides a defi

This book discusses decentralized sanitation for wastewater treatment and management in cold environments. It addresses the knowledge gap that exists between the understanding of centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment approaches. Decentralized Sanitation and Water Treatment: Treatment in Cold Environments and Techno-Economic Aspects covers the sustainability principles, various technologies involved, decentralized treatment in cold countries, and the economic and social feasibility of decentralized sanitation. It provides solutions for the conservation of water sources and target-oriented sanitation approaches for wastewater treatment and recycling. Key Features Reviews the current status, challenges, and future perspectives of decentralized water treatments Discusses decentralized sanitation, water, and wastewater treatment in cold environments and Northern countries Focuses on interdisciplinary approaches of sustainability and circular economy Covers life cycle and environment assessment of decentralized sanitation systems Reviews the environmental, techno-economic, and social aspects of decentralized sanitation systems The book is meant for professionals and researchers working on wastewater treatment, environmental engineering, and ecology.

In many countries, a rapidly upcoming demand for decentralised wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) and a demand for efficient community-based sanitation (CBS) can be observed. DEWATS is designed to be an element of a comprehensive strategy for city-wide planning and sustainable infrastructure development. In this book, not only are the technical requirements for the efficient treatment of wastewater at a given location explained, but the specific socio-economic conditions and steps for community action planning are also taken into consideration.

Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, Decentralised Sanitation and Reuse places public sanitation in a global context and provides a definitive discussion of current state-of-the-art sanitation technologies. It shows how these technologies can be implemented to integrate domestic waste and wastewater treatment in order to maximize resource recycling in domestic practice. Decentralised Sanitation and Reuse presents technical solutions for on-site collection and transport of concentrated waste streams, and focuses on the compromise between reliability and minimal water wastage. A whole range of available sustainable technologies, both low and high-tech, to treat concentrated (black water) and diluted (grey water) streams are addressed in detail from the fundamental scientific and engineering points of view. Sociological, economic and, particularly, environmental and public health aspects are essential issues within this book. The necessity of new infrastructure implementation and the resulting challenges for a good number of economic branches are illustrated with examples from architecture and town planning. Decentralised Sanitation and Reuse will be an invaluable resource for a wide academic and professional readership active in the fields of environmental protection and public sanitation. Contents The DESAR concept for environmental protection Waste and wastewater characteristics and its collection on the site Technological aspects of DESAR Environmental and public health aspects of DESAR Sociological and economic aspects of DESAR Architectural and urbanistic aspects of DESAR