Dear Susanne,

Interesting about this grant by Indian Institute for Human Settlements with CDD Society as a sub grantee - I will send off some e-mails and hopefully can have it introduced formally on the forum soon.

And thanks for your compliment regarding asking the right questions and putting things back on track - much appreciated!

About "weeding out the literature": No, don't worry, we're not actually weeding it out. The library has several filter functions. For those who don't know: Go here: www.susana.org/en/resources/library and then click on the green filter button towards the top right.

Here you can filter the library by technology, by reuse option, by country and by a number of other parameters. You can also use the keyword search which picks up any word that was mentioned in the title or in the summary (or in the keywords field).

The filter by working group is meant to help people orientate themselves which doucments are important for the working group topic, like for working group 5 whose objectives are explained here:
www.susana.org/en/working-groups/food-se...ve-sanitaion-systems

We've decided to limit those working group filters to around 50 documents per working group, as otherwise it's not a good orientation anymore. But using one of the other filters, like country, reuse type, technology etc. one can still find all the others ones, too.

Filtering by Working Group 5 now gives you these results (currently 45):
www.susana.org/en/resources/library?vbl_...5D=&vbl_8%5B42%5D=42

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear Elizabeth and all,

We are presently revising it and will keep you updated.

sorry, I was talking in riddles there.

Within the project titled “Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Program” we are working on a compendium of innovative and established technologies along the sanitation value chain, including reuse. For the established technologies the eawag compendium provides a solid basis. We are adding up to it and selecting technologies suitable for Tamil Nadu to give orientation to the stakeholders.

The project is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and is being implemented by IIHS, Indian Institute for Human Settlements with CDD Society as a sub grantee.

Weeding out the literature - I don't like the idea... If there's a possibility to sort it (Top list as you're doing it, rating, number of downloads etc.) it helps newcomers, but if for people who work let's say in a certain region, as specific case study that took place there might be of interest while it's totally irrelevant to others. The filter function is something that I would look for (as someone used to searching for literature). If keywords are placed properly and the search works let's not to cut back on content that might be useful.

By the way, Elisabeth - you are doing a great job, asking the right questions and keeping track. Has been helpful many times, thank you!

Best regards,
Susanne

Hi Susanne,

Thanks a lot for your post here. Much appreciated!

About the Compendium: yes, it does include a bit on reuse, but it's quite superficial regarding reuse, so I would hesitate to include it in the Top-5 here. Oh and what did you mean by:

We are presently revising it and will keep you updated.

I didn't know another revision of this compendium was currently on the cards?

Regarding additional readings, beyond the Top-5, I agree with you in principle, and that's what the links section in the sticky post is meant to be for. E.g. by filtering the SuSanA library for working group 5 as a topic, you get all these 177:
www.susana.org/en/resources/library?vbl_...5D=&vbl_8%5B42%5D=42

Actually, I was talking with Anne (SuSanA secretariat) the other day and we felt that even this list of 177 should perhaps be weeded out and shrunk to 50 or 100 to make it more user friendly for newcomers. What do you you think?

Note users can also filter by reuse type, e.g. filtering by "urine reuse" gives these 250 documents (wow, 250! - now I am surprised myself):
www.susana.org/en/resources/library?vbl_...5D=&vbl_6%5B26%5D=26

I just wonder if folks are aware of these library filtering options (the other day someone told me he'd never heard about the filter before). It's the green button at the top right here:
www.susana.org/library

And I wonder if we should provide more guidance, as a pile of 177 or 250 documents really is not that helpful for newcomers. At the moment we give them the Top-5 and after that a list of 200 "other" documents on the topic. Perhaps not ideal?

Regarding your other two questions:

How is it possible to feed this library? Can literature also be mentioned there which can not be downloaded directly, such as books?

To get a publication into the library, you just need to send it to the secretariat for inclusion: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(for larger organisations, if they have a whole batch of documents they want to have included, the secretariat can also give out the uploading instructions)

Or when a new publication is mentioned here on the forum, if it's an important one, we ensure that it gets into the library (e.g. I or someone else alerts the secretariat to it).

And yes, the library can also list documents that are behind a paywall, like this book by Rosemarin et al., for example:
www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2103

Do you have particular books in mind that you'd like to recommend?

Regards,
Elisabeth

FSM book and the WHO doc are a good choice. They fit into several categories. WHO of course also covers safe reuse aspects.
I would add the iwa/eawag Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies, since it comprises a part on (re)use also. We are presently revising it and will keep you updated.

www.sswm.info/sites/default/files/refere...evised%20Edition.pdf

I think it is good to name the top 5 documents, but I think it can not do any harm to add information beyond that, for those who want to dig deeper. If docs are categorized well and keywords added in the description like it is done in the SuSanA library. No need of course to build a parallel literature collection here.
How is it possible to feed this library? Can literature also be mentioned there which can not be downloaded directly, such as books?

For more information about why I am creating this new thread, please see here:
forum.susana.org/forum/categories/10-gen...d-sub-category-level

++++++++++++++

This thread is a "sticky thread" which means it will always remain at the top of this sub-category.
It contains a recommendation for new people regarding the most important 3-5 documents in the thematic area of "fertiliser, soil conditioner, production of crops".

The initial selection was done by me, but this is open for discussion and can be adjusted regularly.

Recommended top four documents in the thematic area of "fertiliser, soil conditioner, production of crops" in reverse chronological order*:

(1)
Chapter 10 of this book:
Strande, L., Ronteltap, M., Brdjanovic, D. (Eds.) (2014). Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) book - Systems Approach for Implementation and Operation. IWA Publishing, UK (ISBN: 9781780404738)
www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2100

This is the first book dedicated to faecal sludge management. It compiles the current state of knowledge of this rapidly evolving field, and presents an integrated approach that includes technology, management and planning. It addresses the planning and organization of the entire faecal sludge management service chain, from the collection and transport of sludge and treatment options, to the final end use or disposal of treated sludge. In addition to providing fundamentals and an overview of technologies, the book goes into details of operational, institutional and financial aspects, and provides guidance on how to plan a city-level faecal sludge management project with the involvement of all the stakeholders.

(2)
Morgan, P. (2011). Trees as recyclers of nutrients present in human excreta - Main tree report. Aquamor, Zimbabwe and Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden
www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/1285

This report clearly indicates that trees of various types can benefit greatly from the nutrients derived from human excreta and the methods of transferring the nutrients can vary somewhat. These vary from direct uptake from an unlined pit, a lined pit, by various methods of urine application and also from the seepage from soakaways linked to septic tanks of various types. The trees, in their early stages and up to at least one year old require protection from animals like goats (if these are common in the area) and most importantly a regular supply of water. The tree should preferably be planted just after the start of the main rains, if water is scarce or if regular watering cannot be guaranteed. Trees fare better if they have been pre-grown in containers just after purchase form the nursery. Here they can be planted in rich soil, watered regularly, and once established the growth can be accelerated by the weekly application of diluted urine.

(3)
Richert, A., Gensch, R., Jönsson, H., Stenström, T., Dagerskog, L. (2010). Practical guidance on the use of urine in crop production. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden
www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/757

This book gives practical guidance on the use of urine in crop production as a vital component of sustainable crop production and sanitation systems. It also includes guidance on how to start activities that will facilitate the introduction of new fertilisers to the agricultural community. The handbook should help in establishing links between research and professionals interested in implementation of sustainable sanitation systems. It is easy to read and informative, with examples from case studies and hints on further reading for those interested.

(4)
WHO (2006). WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater - Volume IV: Excreta and greywater use in agriculture. World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/1004

Volume 4 of the Guidelines focuses exclusively on the safe use of excreta and greywater in agriculture. Recent trends in sanitation, including ecological sanitation, are driven by rapid urbanization. The momentum created by the Millennium Development Goals is resulting in dramatic changes in human waste handling and processing. New opportunities enable the use of human waste as a resource for pro-poor agricultural development, particularly in peri-urban areas. Best practice to minimize associated health risks is at the heart of this volume.

You can find further important documents and website links dealing with this topic here:

• We invite you to browse the SuSanA library by using the search term "fertiliser" (or fertilizer): www.susana.org/en/resources/library?search=fertiliser
• There is also a library filter function for working group 5 on food security which gives you these results: www.susana.org/en/resources/library?vbl_2%5B%5D=&vbl_8%5B%5D=42
• Case studies of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance on reuse type: treated faeces as soil conditioner:
  www.susana.org/en/resources/case-studies...5D=&vbl_6%5B24%5D=24
• Same as bullet point above but this time for reuse type: urine as a fertiliser:
  www.susana.org/en/resources/case-studies...5D=&vbl_6%5B26%5D=26
• Further publications by Peter Morgan who has published extensively on this topic are available in the SuSanA library:
  www.susana.org/en/resources/library?search=morgan
• The following Wikipedia articles exists on this topic:
  • Reuse of excreta: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuse_of_excreta (I created this article on 1 January 2015; in the meantime it has been much improved with the help of other editors)
  • Organic fertilizer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_fertilizer
  • Manure: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manure
  • Uses of compost: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_of_compost
  • Soil conditioner: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_conditioner

Please provide your feedback. What do you think of this selection? We can update it from time to time.

Regards,
Elisabeth


* Note that the documents dealing specifically with urine as a fertiliser will have a separate entry in the sub-sub-category on urine as a fertiliser.