Thanks all for your responses.

Unfortunately the project timeframes didn't allow us to do much testing, but we are proposing a pilot facility is constructed first to monitor the faecal sludge volumes and characteristics and update the design assumptions for other facilities.

Santiago - I did read that document you suggest, but will have to go back for another review.....

Chaiwe - that is a good recommendation, unfortunately, we are working on a small and very remote island (Kiritimati Island in the Pacific), there are no lab facilities (private, education or public) on the island, and no water utilities either.

Thanks again for your interest.
Carys

Hello,

You can build a pilot drying bed to place at the outdoors. During its testing, you can take samples at different intervals and measure the total solids (TS) with the oven method (low-cost). From the TS, you can determine the moisture content (=1-TS). Then, you can plot Moisture Content versus Time (Drying Curve). Like this, you can characterize the performance of your drying process in a low-cost way. 

I recommend to read the following to have more details: Section 4.4 from the "Methods for Faecal Sludge Analysis" book (you can download for free at the following website: www.iwapublishing.com/books/978178040911...ecal-sludge-analysis.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Kindly,
Santiago

Hi Carys,
I work with Aguatuya, in Bolivia. Two years ago, we helped a water utility building some drying beds that are used to vermicompost the feces coming from a neighborhood with urine-diverting dry toilets.

We weren't really involved in the design of the beds, as they had already built and operated the same beds before, but I can get in touch with them and see if there's useful stuff they may share.

Although I know it's quite different, drying FS from drying feces, perhaps they can bring some light into this.

Alejandro

Hello Carys

One way around the lack of access to lab facilities is to build partnerships with local universities and work with students who may have an interest in research or practical sessions on the subject.

I am not sure which context and organisation you are representing, but this seems to work very well here in Zambia where I am based. In some cases, local water utility companies can also be of help.  

Kind Regards,
Chaiwe

Hi,
You can use portable moisture meter to get an idea about total solids and portable COD analyzer for estimation of COD.

Hello,

We have difficulty determining faecal sludge characteristics (TS, BOD, COD) due to lack of laboratory and testing facilities.  We are looking at drying beds as our preferred treatment option currently, but have very limited data (and lots of assumptions) for the design.

We are considering doing a small drying test to see in the field how quickly the faecal sludge dries, does anyone have any experience with this and or other ideas for very simple field measurements of faecal sludge parameters?