Thanks Elizabeth

Hi Burton,

It seems to me that doing a biodegradation test on faecal sludge is not worth the effort. The hard part would anyhow be to get a "representative" sample. Representative for the particular pit that you are studying but also for all the pits across your study area.

Have you thought about other methods? Maybe just look at the COD to BOD ratios as a prox for biodegradability? See here: forum.susana.org/214-vault-content-resea...-use-a-factor-of-0-8

Or perhaps use that new statistical, spatially available data that EAWAG is proposing, see here:

++++++++
Methods to reliably estimate faecal sludge quantities and qualities for the design of treatment technologies and management solutions
Author: Linda Strande, Lars Schoebitz, Fabian Bischoff, Daniel Ddiba, Francis Okello, Miriam Englund, Barbara J. Ward, Charles B. Niwagaba

doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.100
Under a Creative Commons license open access

Highlights:
• We present a data collection method to estimate quantities and qualities of sludge.
• This method averages out complexities of individual containment technologies.
• Correlations to spatially available data can help predict quantities and qualities.
• Indicators include income level, users, volume, emptying frequency, and truck size.
• Correlations in characteristics could provide a way to reduce analytical costs.
++++++

More about that paper in this thread: forum.susana.org/214-vault-content-resea...d-qualities-by-eawag

Let us know how you get on.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Hello, i am currently doing a project to do with the quantification of faecal sludge in pit latrines of a peri-urban area in my country. Am trying to perform a biodegradation test on the faecal sludge from the pit latrines but i am lacking a book containing the standard methods and procedures for testing. I have looked for this book online (APHA Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater.20th edition. (1998). Washington,DC: American Public Health Association) but i haven't been able to download it. would any one happen to have it or are there any other books that you would recommend? or are there any other methods that could be recommended for determining the biodegradation of faecal sludge.