Fecal sludge treatment in a pilot-scale vertical-flow constructed wetland for the removal of helminth eggs

Fecal sludge treatment in a pilot-scale vertical-flow constructed wetland for the removal of helminth eggs

Abstract Eliminating parasites in fecal sludge (FS) remains one of the major concerns in developing countries. To address this issue, experiments were conducted in triplicate vertical-flow constructed wetland (VFCW) units corresponding to free flow, 7 days and 14 days of retention time (RT). The eff...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of water, sanitation, and hygiene for development Vol. 12; no. 9; pp. 634 - 646
Main Authors: Letah Nzouebet, Wilfried Arsène, Soh Kengne, Ebenezer, Rechenburg, Andrea, Nana Ndangang, Jean-Jules, Kengne Noumsi, Ives Magloire
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London IWA Publishing 01-09-2022
Subjects:
Artificial wetlands
Developing countries
Drinking water
Eggs
environmental pollution
fecal sludge
Free flow
Hydraulics
LDCs
Leachates
Load distribution
Parasites
pathogenic parasites
Performance evaluation
Planting density
public health
Removal
Retention
Retention time
Sanitation
Sludge
Sludge treatment
tropical climate
Variance analysis
Vegetation
vertical-flow constructed wetlands
Wetlands
Cameroon
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Summary:Abstract Eliminating parasites in fecal sludge (FS) remains one of the major concerns in developing countries. To address this issue, experiments were conducted in triplicate vertical-flow constructed wetland (VFCW) units corresponding to free flow, 7 days and 14 days of retention time (RT). The effect of plant density on the system's performance was monitored in each planted bed unit and compared to the non-planted unit (standard). Following a bi-monthly application rate of FS at a nominal load of 200 kg TS m−2 year−1, the performance of the system in terms of helminth egg removal was calculated for each hydraulic RT tested. Untreated FS applied on the bed units contained high parasitic egg loads with a median number of 62.51 helminth eggs/g. The removal efficiencies of helminth eggs ranged from 82 to 100% in the leachates and were affected by the hydraulic RTs and the presence of plants (p < 0.05). On the other hand, accumulated biosolids on the bed units still contained high concentrations of pathogens exceeding the WHO standards and should not be applied directly in agriculture.
ISSN:2043-9083
2408-9362
DOI:10.2166/washdev.2022.090