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Chapter 6: The Sanitation Revolution
The urine-diversion toilet
The urine-diversion toilet, also known as the ‘Drybox’ is another innovation that
rethinks sanitation. This is a superior type of dry toilet that overcomes the problems
sometimes encountered with implementing VIP toilets. The main advantage of the
Drybox is that it doesn’t need a pit, hence the toilet may be installed inside the house.
Urine is diverted at source by a specially designed pedestal and the relatively small
volumes are simply led into a shallow soakpit. Alternatively, urine can be directed
into a container and re-used for agricultural fertiliser, as it is rich in plant nutrients,
such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Faeces are deposited in a shallow vault and covered with a sprinkling of ash or dry
soil, which absorbs most of the moisture. Faeces are subjected to a dehydration
process inside the vault, which hastens pathogen die-off.
Treat waste at source
The new-generation sanitation treatment processes allow human waste to be treated
at source, eliminating the need for sewers or, in the case of latrines, having to find
ways to effectively manage faecal sludge.
South Africa could
provide many
shared lessons on
sanitation for the
rest of Africa
THE FUTURE
Shared knowledge
South Africa requires a re-think of how to address universal sanitation
delivery, not only in this country, but also in the rest of the continent.
Many African countries are striving to achieve their development targets for
sanitation and South Africa could provide many shared lessons.
Most of Africa’s sanitation targets are infrastructural with little emphasis placed
on sustainability or soft issues like household or community acceptance of the
technology. Moreover, evidence has shown that the management of faecal sludge is
extremely challenging due to its various physical and chemical characteristics. Pit
latrine processes are dependent on a number of factors making the management of
this toilet technology highly complex from a planning perspective.
Sanitation Research Fund for Africa
The Sanitation Research Fund for Africa (SRFA) recognises the enormous challenge
that effective management of faecal sludge presents. The SRFA therefore seeks
to develop localised capacity and solutions to deal with the challenge. Some
of the technologies piloted by the SRFA include a decentralised faecal sludge
treatment plant to reduce transport costs for pit-emptying entrepreneurs, an easily
transportable solar pasteuriser and co-digestion of faecal sludge with other organic
wastes.
...biogas could be
one way to rethink
the sanitation and
energy issues faced
by many countries
High-tech options
Using sewage sludge to generate biogas could be one way to rethink the sanitation
and energy issues faced by many countries, simply by making the connection
between the two. Large-scale anaerobic biogas digesters are reactors used for the
conversion of the organic component of large volumes of sludge and slurry into
biogas by anaerobic digestion. The biogas is recovered and used either directly for
heating the reactors or transformed into combined power and heat, and fed into
the grid.
Both small- and large-scale anaerobic digestion is a well-established commercial
technology. The technology has been increasingly used for municipal wastewater
treatment in Asia (India in particular) and Latin America.
Water Facts & Futures: Rethinking South Africa’s Water Future | Page
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