Faecal Sludge Research Articles

Fecal sludge characterization, treatment, and resource recovery options: a state-of-the-art review on fecal sludge management.

A rise in population and urbanization demanded that a robust fecal sludge management (FSM) value chain be used to restructure the sanitation system throughout the world securely. A significant global need exists to adopt efficient and sustainable FSM. On-site sanitation systems (OSS) produce fecal sludge (FS). FS is produced when excreta and blackwater are combined and stored or treated, either alone or in combination with greywater. FS can be semisolid or slurry and raw or partially digested. Critical examination of FS characteristics, i.e., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), and pathogen count, varies from 600-56,836mg/l, 6656 to 201,200mg/l, 830-123,000mg/l, and 105 to 109 E. coli/l of FS respectively. Helminth eggs range from 2500-25,000/l of FS. Public health and the environment are negatively impacted by septic tank overflows and the careless discharge of FS into open spaces affecting groundwater quality, water bodies, irrigation fields, open drains, places outside villages, etc. Thus, deciding on a proper treatment technology for FS before discharging it into open land or reusing FS is essential to create a pollution-free environment. This paper highlights the practices adopted for FSM under its different processes, such as collecting, characterization, treating, and reusing of on-site FS and bibliometric analysis on documents on fecal sludge. A thorough analysis has been carried out by reviewing all important literature available globally.

Genomic surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli in fecal sludge and sewage in Uganda

The global increase of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health concern. An effective AMR surveillance tool is needed to track the emergence and spread of AMR. Wastewater surveillance has been proposed as a resource-efficient tool for monitoring AMR carriage in the community. Here, we performed genomic surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli obtained from fecal sludge and sewage in Uganda to gain insights into E. coli epidemiology and AMR burden in the underlying population. Selective media containing different antibiotic combinations (cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime + ciprofloxacin + gentamicin) were used to obtain antimicrobial-resistant E. coli from fecal sludge and sewage. Short-read sequencing was performed for the obtained isolates, and a subset of isolates (selected from predominant sequence types (STs)) was also subjected to long-read sequencing. Genomic analysis of the obtained E. coli isolates (n = 181) revealed the prevalence of clonal complex 10, including ST167 (n = 43), ST10 (n = 28), ST1284 (n = 17), and ST617 (n = 4), in both fecal sludge and sewage, irrespective of antibiotics used for selection. We also detected global high-risk clones ST1193 (n = 10) and ST131 (n = 2 clade A, n = 3 subclade C1-M27, and n = 1 subclade C2). Diverse AMR determinants, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes (mostly blaCTX-M-15) and mutations in gyrA and parC, were identified. Analysis of the completed genomes revealed that diverse IncF plasmids and chromosomal integration were the major contributors to the spread of AMR genes in the predominant STs. This study showed that a combination of sewage surveillance (or fecal sludge surveillance) and whole-genome sequencing can be a powerful tool for monitoring AMR carriage in the underlying population.

Does "Low Cost" Urban Sanitation Exist? Lessons from a Global Data Set.

In this paper, we report results from, and demonstrate the value of, a global database for the collection and aggregation of reliable and comparable cost data for urban sanitation systems as they are built and operated on the ground (rather than the "as planned" costs that are often reported). We show that no particular "mode" of urban sanitation (for example "sewered sanitation" or "fecal sludge management") can be meaningfully described as "low cost" when compared to other modes. We show that economies of scale may operate for systems that transport waste from pits and sealed tanks by road as well as for sewerage. We use a case study example to show the value of being able to compare local costs to global benchmarks and identify that operational considerations such as low connection rates may be more significant in determining overall cost liabilities for urban sanitation than technical considerations such as population density, size, and degree of centralization/decentralization.

Fecal sludge management practices and associated factors among residents living in Baidoa, Somalia

Background: Excreta is a normal part of life, but if it is not appropriately controlled, it can lead to waterborne diseases, most low- and middle-income countries lack adequate fecal sludge treatment and management (FSM) service coverage. The study's main goal was to assess fecal sludge management practices and associated factors among communities in Baidoa, Somalia. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional study design. The collected data was analyzed using statistical software for social sciences (SPSS) version 21. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used. Qualitative data was thematically analyzed. Results: The study identified that 66% of the Baidoa fecal sludge produced is not well managed. Regarding community perceptions, 75.80% of the assessed communities don’t understand poor sanitation while 30.1% don’t know the relationship between poor sanitation and health risk. Results showed a statistically significant association between education level and access to latrines, [χ2 (4, n=385=50.672, p<0.001)] study participants' community resident status and access to FSM services ( (23, n=385=148.82, p<0.001)); HH monthly income is significant in access to FSM services [χ2 (64, n=385=113.180, p<0.001)]. Conclusions: There are gaps in FSM management and residents are at risk of health hazards/disease outbreaks. The key recommendation is the development of strategic sanitation service delivery planning in view of FSM service chain and formulation of regulations to govern FSM service provision by different actors to safeguard the health safety of living, learning, and working environments.

The Efficiency of Ascaris Spp. Eggs Inactivation in Sewage Sludge by Lime Dosage, Ammonia Concentration, and Temperature Variation

Introduction: Ascaris spp. eggs threaten sludge reuse because they are usually more environmentally resistant than other microorganisms. Consequently, the WHO recommended an acceptable limit of <1 helminth egg per gram of total solid as a health-based target for treated feces and fecal sludge and aimed to ascertain the effectiveness and reduction rate of Ascaris spp. eggs in sludge at various lime doses, ammonia concentrations, and temperature values. Methods: Eggs were detected and enumerated using the flotation and sedimentation principle. The reduction process was performed in batches with quick lime doses of 30% and 50% w/w, ammonia concentrations of 1,000 and 5,000 mg/L, and temperatures of 30°C and 50°C. Results and Discussion: The number of eggs of Ascaris spp. fertile in the ponds was 1.38 ± 1.38 eggs/gram to 42.98 ± 13.09 eggs/gram, and the infertile amount was 0.46 ± 0.80 eggs/gram to 17.82 ± 6.55 eggs/gram. Using a temperature of 40°C, 50% CaO, and 5,000 ppm ammonia resulted in the highest percentage of reduction, 97.98 - 98.09% but 1.12 eggs/gram was remaining. Conclusion: Higher pH and ammonia levels primarily affect egg decrease in Ascaris spp. To reduce 99% of Ascaris spp. eggs until it reaches <1 egg/g, a dose of 50% CaO is required, with 5,000 ppm ammonia at a temperature of 40°C for 2.7 hours.

Assessing consistency in the aerobic co-composting of faecal sludge and food waste in a municipality in Ghana

BackgroundA faecal sludge (FS) co-composting study assessed the extent of consistency in compost characteristics between and within batches. The study focused on the consistency of the co-composting process by measuring the variability of key parameters.MethodThe set up consisted of 12 FS and food waste (FW) co-composting piles in three successive batches (1, 2 and 3). Consistency was assessed in the three successive batches of co-composted FS and food waste (FW). Within batches, consistency was assessed in each of them by dividing it into four separate replicate piles. Characteristics of interest were E. coli, as well as selected physico-chemical parameters (pH, EC, Mg, Ca, N, NH4-N, NO3-N, P, avail. P, and K) and heavy metals (Se, Fe, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Cr). Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS.ResultResults show that, E. coli levels were not consistent between the successive batches during the entire co-composting process. While variations between batches were only observed for EC and nutrient parameters, variations were evident for several measured characteristics within batches. The measured coefficient of variations (CVs) within batches ranged between 0–125% and 3–111% for heavy metals and nutrients, respectively.ConclusionIn conclusion, there was less consistency in nutrients between successive batches and CV within batches was wide. Consistency levels for E. coli may not be an issue if pathogen inactivation is complete.RecommendationIt is recommended that a threshold value be created for determining what is an acceptable level of variation in FS co-composting.

Heavy metal contamination of faecal sludge for agricultural production in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

To achieve the universal target of ‘safely managed sanitation’ set out in UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, the world needs to increase its rate of progress, since e.g. Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, currently has zero percent safely managed sanitation. One way to promote safer faecal sludge management is to shift to a more circular system with nutrient recycling, but this carries the risk of heavy metal accumulation in the environment. This study analysed the concentrations of heavy metals in raw faecal sludge from various sources and assessed the appropriateness of resource recovery and reuse in relation to the heavy metal and nutrient loads in faecal sludge. A total of 42 samples collected from sludge disposal sites in Phnom Penh during the dry and rainy seasons were analysed for heavy metals and physicochemical parameters. Mean measured concentrations of heavy metals in faecal sludge samples decreased in the order Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Ni > Hg > As > Cd in both seasons but were higher in the rainy season, probably due partly to inflow from stormwater drains and run-off from roads during storm events. All elements analysed were within the permissible limits for application to land according to EU standards and USEPA. However, Hg and Zn concentrations exceeded the tolerance limits for local organic fertiliser and Swedish limits for compost. Faecal sludge is thus not an appropriate fertiliser considering the risk of heavy metal accumulation in relation to phosphorus recovered. Options to avoid recirculating pollutants to the environment include upstream prevention of pollution, source separation of household wastewater fractions and use of biosolids as a soil conditioner together with other fertilisers or for soil production. Additional studies are needed on these options if sanitation stakeholders are to close the nutrient loop.

Microbial community function and bacterial pathogen composition in pit latrines in peri-urban Malawi

Despite the widespread global reliance on pit latrines as improved sanitation systems, the decomposition of waste within pit latrines is poorly understood. One area needing elucidation is the characterization and function of microbial communities within pit latrines. To address this gap, we characterized the microbial communities of 55 lined pit latrines at three sampling layers from two communities in peri-urban Malawi. The microbial communities of the fecal sludge samples were analyzed for beta diversity, pathogen presence, and functional profiling. Household surveys were conducted and used to compare microbial community patterns to household characteristics and pit latrine use patterns. Compared to activated sludge, anaerobic digestion in municipal wastewater systems, and human gut microbiomes, pit latrines were found to contain unique microbial communities. While the microbial community composition as a whole did not vary by sampling depth, pathogen composition varied by sampling depth, location, and household water source. The inferred microbial function also varied by depth (e.g., increase in methanogens and decrease in aerobes with depth). The richness of lined pit latrines determined from surface samples from eight latrines was found to be representative for a given area. Samples from middle and lower depths collected using a Gulper pump did not provide more information on richness, a result that informs future sampling designs. These findings are important for improving waste-based epidemiology (WBE) approaches to understand community health and waste degradation characterization of lined pit latrines.

Substituting microalgae with fecal sludge for biohythane production enhancement and cost saving through two-stage anaerobic digestion

Finding a low-cost, simple technology for producing high-quality bioenergy (e.g., biohythane: bioH2 and bioCH4) from waste biomass is challenging. Production of cleaner energy, such as biohythane, than methane from microalgae (MA), is a suitable approach. However, having a low C-N ratio of microalgae limits scaling up the process. Therefore, this study took the opportunity to use fecal sludge (FS) as a co-substrate for C-N ratio optimization to improve biohythane production while reducing cost. The biomass hydrothermal pretreatment enhanced soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) from 390 mgL−1 to 1085 mgL−1, resulting volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation rate of 1853 mgL−1 at a mixing ratio of 50:50. The results of two-stage anaerobic digestion (TSAD) of 50-50 MA-FS showed a cumulative biohydrogen yield of 24.5 mLg−1-VS (Volatile Solid) and biomethane yield of 281 mLg−1-VS with a synergetic effect of 52.7%. The techno-economic analysis suggests a return on investment (ROI) of 4.8 for utilizing a 50-50 biomass ratio. In addition, the input cost could be reduced to 75.6 % if the ratio of MA and FS was adjusted to 25–75. Therefore, the TSAD of MA and FS is a promising option to enhance the biohythane yield and its high economic potential.

Urban Sanitation: New Terminology for Globally Relevant Solutions?

Progress toward Sustainable Development Goals for global access to safe sanitation is lagging significantly. In this Feature, we propose that misleading terminology leads to errors of categorization and hinders progress toward sanitation service provision in urban areas. Binary classifications such as "offsite/onsite" and "sewered/nonsewered" do not capture the need for "transport to treatment" or the complexity of urban sanitation and should be discarded. "Fecal sludge management" is used only in the development context of low- or middle-income countries, implying separate solutions for "poor" or "southern" contexts, which is unhelpful. Terminology alone does not solve problems, but rather than using outdated or "special" terminology, we argue that a robust terminology that is globally relevant across low-, middle-, and upper-income contexts is required to overcome increasingly unhelpful assumptions and stereotypes. The use of accurate, technically robust vocabulary and definitions can improve decisions about management and selection of treatment, promote a circular economy, provide a basis for evidence-based science and technology research, and lead to critical shifts and transformations to set policy goals around truly safely managed sanitation. In this Feature, the three current modes of sanitation are defined, examples of misconceptions based on existing terminology are presented, and a new terminology for collection and conveyance is proposed: (I) fully road transported, (II) source-separated mixed transport, (III) mixed transport, and (IV) fully pipe transported.

Sustainability assessment of faecal sludge treatment technologies for resource recovery in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Selection of appropriate sustainable treatment technologies involves satisfying user requirements, quality standards on treatment and products, and specific socio-technical constraints in the intended context. Using locally adapted multi-criteria assessment (MCA), this study investigated faecal sludge treatment technologies that enable resource recovery in Phnom Penh. A four-step structured approach was applied, involving i) identification of available options, ii) prerequisite screening, iii) MCA and iv) stakeholder discussions and ranking. Data were collected in a literature review, stakeholder interviews and an online survey. Lists of suitable primary (n = 7) and secondary (n = 13) treatment technologies were compiled based on the literature. Four secondary treatment technologies (solar drying, co-composting, vermicomposting, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) composting) were retained after prerequisite screening and subjected to MCA. Co-composting was ranked highest in MCA, since it performed well in multiple aspects, especially for health criteria. However, when economic return on investment was prioritised and a lower treatment class was accepted, e.g. USEPA Class B biosolids, the highest ranking was achieved by vermicomposting or BSFL composting. If institutional criteria were included in the assessment, solar drying would likely be the highest-ranked option, since this simple technology requires less logistically complex stakeholder arrangements than co-composting. These results show that the ranking obtained for different sludge treatment options depends on criteria weighting and trade-offs. Considering secondary treatment options is crucial during early planning for faecal sludge management in a city of low-and-middle income countries, as the primary treatment must yield appropriate feedstock quality for the secondary treatment step.

Association of Insanitary Practices and Faecal Sludge Management with Drinking Water Quality: A Lesson Learnt from Sheohar District, Bihar

Presence of faecal coliform in drinking water is a major public health concern in many countries. It is critical to know how faecal coliforms find ways to the drinking water. The common causes are believed to be poor sanitary practices and unsafe faecal sludge management. This paper examines the presence of such causal factors in drinking water, found to be contaminated with faecal coliform, through a field survey in Sheohar district of India. Secondary data on sanitary status of the region was collected followed by collection of primary data on structure of toilets constructed and sanitary practices from households and village level institutions through a questionnaire-based survey. Ground water samples used for drinking in the surveyed villages were tested for presence of E-coli using Compartment Bag Test kit following WHO norms. It was found that even after reaching near universal coverage of toilets, there have remained many pathways to contaminate the ground water. The findings have important implications on proper implementation of sanitation and drinking water supply programmes and steps to be taken to avoid contamination of ground water with faecal coliform even after an area has been declared as open defecation free. This will also help to identify the risk factors for designing water & sanitation safety plan to ensure water quality and improving public health and nutrition.

Biodegradation of septic tank fecal sludge using Priestia aryabhattai

AbstractThe significant potential of microorganisms for fecal sludge degradation is an interesting area for investigation, primarily due to its current lack of attention. This study involved the identification of indigenous bacteria in septic tank fecal waste with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 16S rRNA gene. Subsequently, selected bacteria strains were subjected to a potential assessment using a single method. Variables in this experiment included the addition of 2% (v/v) bacteria and sample sterilization. The results showed that the use of PCR 16S rRNA analysis led to the identification of Priestia aryabhattai, a member of the phylum Firmicutes, as the dominant species in the samples. This bacteria exhibited adaptability to both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Sterile samples with the addition of P. aryabhattai 2% (v/v), showed the best removal efficiency percentages of 79.77%, 79.62%, 62.91%, and 70.48% for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS). Meanwhile, the total carbon and nitrogen decreased to 2895 mg/L C and 794.12 mg/L NH3‐N, respectively. Based on the results, Priestia aryabhattai has the potential to degrade organic waste but is not suitable for fecal sludge.

Dry Sanitation Technologies: Developing a Simplified Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Tool

Safely managed sanitation is indispensable for societies to ensure public health, environmental protection, and economic and social development. This could be achieved, in large areas of the world, through dry sanitation systems. Dry sanitation systems are especially used in water-scarce regions and low-income households. In dense peri-urban areas, the achievement of safe sanitation necessitates a comprehensive fecal sludge management (FSM) service chain, surpassing the mere provision of latrines. This research introduces an automatic Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach, which focuses on the particular interface/storage stage of the FSM service chain. The tool aims to support the decision-making process and may be especially useful in the early stages of sanitation planning as it compares different technologies with potential application in low-income countries. It includes different criteria and parameters for the Social, Economic, Technical, and Environmental dimensions of dry sanitation options (SETEds), being adaptable to different contexts and to different priorities. The main key strengths of the tool were found to be its minimal data requirements and ability to customize operation and maintenance cost parameters. These features are particularly relevant in data-scarce contexts, where traditional models may lead to unreliable recommendations or lack of solution ownership by users. The tool was applied to the Ambriz case study, a coastal town in Northern Angola, in West Africa. The obtained results are analyzed and show the tool’s application provides technology recommendations aligned with the site and community characteristics.

Systematic characterization of faecal sludge from various sources for its use as a solid fuel

AbstractFaecal sludge (FS) is not extensively evaluated for its potential as a solid fuel mainly due to the general conception of its “highly variable characteristics” in relation to the wide range of on-site sanitation systems. An extensive and systematic FS characterization was therefore conducted on twenty-four samples collected directly from pit latrines, ventilated improved pit latrines (VIPs) and urine-diverting dehydrating toilets (UDDTs) at two depths to understand the impact on properties relevant for combustion. The higher heating value (HHV) for these samples lies between 13 to 22 MJ/kg DM (dry matter). However, such high values should be taken with caution since the measurement guidelines recommended the removal of the large inert pieces found in FS. Besides this potential bias of procedure, differences could be observed between containments, where pit latrines showed the largest variability as compared to VIP and UDDT. These differences are mainly correlated with the ash content, ranging from 15 to 50% DM, while the organic elements concentrations were similar for all samples. Interestingly, the same major inorganic elements could be measured in all samples, namely Si, P, Ca and K followed by Mg and Na. Such similar composition is probably due to similar sanitation practices and staple diet. However, the overall concentration of minor elements was below 1000 ppm DM for most samples. The N concentrations were quite high, between 2.5 to 4.5% DM. Abovementioned results may be problematic for process and environmental aspects if FS is combusted alone. FS can therefore be suitable preferably for co-combustion in blend with lignocellulosic biomass waste.

Composting of Household Waste and Fecal Sludge for Agricultural Recovery in the Urban Commune of Faranah

This research was carried out from October 1, 2021 to March 15, 2022 and focused on the composting of household waste and fecal sludge for agricultural recovery. This study allowed to take stock of the methods of managing household waste produced in the urban commune of Faranah and to assess the impact of the compost produced on the yield of eggplant cultivation (Solanum melongena L.). The quantities of household waste and fecal sludge produced annually in Faranah are respectively 42651.1625 T/year and 15417.4 m3/year. Our surveys show that 80% of this waste is very poorly managed. For a total of 100 kg of household waste and 400 kg of fecal sludge composted, we obtained 378 kg of fresh compost for a duration of 60 days. The results of the agrochemical analysis of the compost gave the following values: pH = 6.5; assimilable nitrogen (0.34%), phosphorus P2 O5 (20.25%); K2 O (0.54%); organic matter 35.71% and the C/N ratio is 11.65. The experiment with the compost in eggplant cultivation gave an average fruit yield of 25.43 kg/4.5 m2 compared to 17.25 kg/4.5 m2 for the control plot.

Microbial hazards in real-world alternating dual-pit latrines treated with storage and lime in rural Cambodia

Abstract Achieving safely managed sanitation (SMS) in rural areas has spurred innovation in toilet designs that provide on-site treatment of fecal sludge (FS), including the development of International Development Enterprise (iDE)’s alternating dual-pit latrine upgrade (ADP). ADPs treat FS by inactivating pathogens using storage treatment with lime; however, ADPs’ reduction in pathogenicity (and thus their associated public health benefit) has not yet been described in real-world pits at scale. We thus enumerate the fecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and fecal coliforms in 147 pits after two years of storage treatment with lime and compare detected concentrations to relevant standards. E. coli and fecal coliform concentrations indicated a risk to human health in 31% and 42% of sampled pits, respectively. Regression models described relationships between fecal indicator bacteria concentrations and measured factors (e.g., sludge pH, temperature) but did not reveal any meaningful associations. High rates of pit ineligibility also indicate that many ADPs are not operated as recommended. Results indicate a one-in-three chance that a household emptying their own pit would be exposed to health hazards and call into question the effectiveness of the standard two-year storage treatment in real-world applications. To improve rural SMS, various evidence-based recommendations are made.

Development, Characterisation, and Performance Evaluation of Some Indigenous Plants for Faecal Sludge Treatment in Ghana

The search for alternative solutions for sustainable management of faecal sludge in the area of dewatering with biocoagulants/bioflocculants remains unfulfilled. Some available and accessible indigenous plants in the northern part of Ghana have been characterised and subsequently evaluated in their suitability for use as biocoagulant/bioflocculants. The Yila (Crossopteryx febrifuga) and the Voulo (Grewia mollis) plants were the indigenous plants used in this study. Three applications from the Yila wooden stem, the Yila bark, and the Voulo at different treatment concentrations with faecal sludge were monitored. The Yila wooden stem gave a potential of pollutant removal up to about 83.99%, 93.79%, and 91.54% for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and turbidity, respectively. Application of the Yila bark gave a respective removal efficiency of up to about 77.39%, 82.02%, and 54.60% for COD, TSS, and turbidity. The efficiency of the Voulo plant obtained for COD, TSS, and turbidity was up to about 80.43%, 86.83%, and 72.55%, respectively. No cyanogenic or toxic compounds were identified in the characterised raw materials used for this study. The study has revealed the potential of producing biocoagulants that can perform as effectively as synthetic/chemical coagulants using locally natural raw materials but the use of it at large scale will only be applicable for batch or semi-batch systems. Some interesting constituents identified in the plants under consideration, such as trialkyl bismuthine and furan derivative, can open up opportunities to elucidate the potential applications of these identified plants in the areas of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, glass and ceramics, rubber production, and other applicable medicinal advantageous areas.

Isolasi dan Identifikasi Awal Bakteri Patogen pada Kolam Maturasi IPLT Supit Urang Kota Malang

The sanitation problem in Malang City is a serious problem. The Supit Urang Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant (IPLT) is intended to improve the processing of fecal waste so that is suitable for disposal into the environment. This study aims to isolate and identifyx the initial types of pathogenic bacteria contained in fecal waste effluent found in maturation ponds. The method used is descriptive exploratory xto provide an overview of the presence of pathogenic bacteria in maturation ponds. The data obtained was then analyzed descriptively in form of data tabulations in tables and diagrams. The result showed that there were four genera of pathogenic bacteria identified in maturation ponds. The four genera are xmembers of the Enterobacteriaceae family, including Escherichia, Salmonella, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter. Microscopically, bacteria were found to be gram-negative with bacilli, cocci, and spiral cell shapes. The presence of pathogenic bacteria in the maturation ponds is thought to be due to thex depth of the pond and the detention time exceeds the standard. Treatment of fecal waste in maturation ponds is not optimal because it still contains harmful pathogenic bacteria, so it needs more intensive processing to make it suitable for disposal into the river.Keywords: fecal sludge, IPLT, maturation pond, pathogenic bacteria

Phytoremediation of a Combination of Water Clover (Marsilea crenata) and Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) for Fecal Wastewater

The Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant (IPLT) is a wastewater treatment system that aims to treat fecal waste so it does not pollute the environment. One of the fecal waste water treatment processes at IPLT Supit Urang uses a phytoremediation process. This study aims to determine the phytoremediation ability of the combination of Water clover (Marsilea crenata) and Java fern (Microsorum pteropus) on fecal waste water in the Fecal Waste Treatment Plant. This research is an experimental research method using 3 repetitions and observed 5 times within 5 weeks with the tested parameters being total dissolved solids (TDS), Electrivc conductivity (EC), and total suspended solids (TSS). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the ability of the combination of Microsorum pteropus and Marsilea crenata to reduce faecal waste between weeks of observation. The results showed that in general the combination of the two plant species was less effective in reducing TDS, EC and TSS content. There were significant differences in the content of the three physical parameters of water quality between weeks of observation.Keywords: Phytoremediation, Fecal waste treatment, Water Clover (Marsilea crenata), Java ferns (Microsorum pteropus)