Evaluation of the Functionality of GeoTube® based Physicochemical Faecal Sludge Treatment: A Cursory Alternate

Abstract

With the rampant boom in faecal sludge (FS) collection and management in line with Indian government’s agenda, quite a few urban local bodies (ULBs) in Telangana such as Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) initiated into establishing faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) in collaboration with experienced private technology partners such as Banka BioLoo Limited. FSTPs were so designed with minimal mechanical components to regularize it as a popular choice for rural and sub-urban. The GeoTube based technology makes use of an organic flocculant to maximize the floc formation and thereby the water recovery. Post-flocculation the sludge is fed into a semi permeable polypropylene trap (GeoTube®) with a pore size of 0.3 mm. The method of dewatering the septage with the aid of GeoTube was so designed to ensure greater than 98% efficacy. Ultimately, the above effluent gets polished with a series of tertiary units such as pressure sand filter, activated carbon filter, UV disinfection, etc. The permeate meets the inland water disposal standards and is used to maintain the green belt in and around the plant. The trapped biosolids are self-composted for more than two months inside the filled tubes. Further, the debagged material is analyzed to ensure compliance with physico-chemical, metallic, and pathogenic limits. Afterward, the final materials pulverized, packed, and distributed amid the local farmers to be used as a soil conditioner. The FSTP has been successfully running for about two years now and has to date treated more than 2 million liters of septage of which recycled almost 1500 kL of water and 35 tons of biosolids.