Is human excreta a waste?
by Nityanand Singh Maurya
International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management (IJETM), Vol. 15, No. 3/4/5/6, 2012

Abstract: Every day a huge amount of excreta is being produced by human society and it is also considered one of the most unwanted waste/refuse of the society because of its nuisance and diseases causing characteristics. However, it is also utilised as a fertiliser and soil conditioner in several countries such as India and China. Presently most common sanitation concept is centralised treatment of human excreta containing wastewater, in which a small volume of excreta is being mixed with large volume of water, and transport the mixture to the centralised treatment site employing a costly and complicated sewer network. Disadvantage associated with this process are loss of valuable resource in terms of plant nutrient, energy and water. Therefore, a holistic approach is warranted for human excreta management, which could lead to pollution control, resource recovery and water conservation. Eco-sanitation (separate collection of faeces and urine employing urine diverting toilet) is good option at least for rural setting. In urban areas, flush toilet with recycling facilities of grey water for flushing purpose and subsequently separate decentralise anaerobic digestion of resulting black water would be an optimal compromise for sustainable development.

Online publication date: Wed, 17-Dec-2014

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management (IJETM):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com