Fecal sludge as a fuel: characterization, cofire limits, and evaluation of quality improvement measures

In many low-income cities, a high proportion of fecal sludge, the excreta and blackwater collected from onsite sanitation systems such as pit latrines, is not safely managed. This constitutes a major danger to environmental and human health. The water, sanitation, and hygiene sector has recognized that valorization of treated fecal sludge could offset the upfront cost of treatment by using it as a fuel source. The few quantitative studies on fecal sludge fuel published to date have focused on heating value, moisture, ash fraction, and heavy metals. However, other factors impacting fuel utility, specifically ash speciation, have not been adequately quantified for fecal sludge. This study contributes to closing that gap and shows the value of more detailed quantification. It first characterizes fecal sludge samples from Colorado and Uganda, confirms that the fuel is better if cofired with other biomass, and outlines a framework for determining safe cofire ratios. Second, the study evaluates two methods for improving fecal sludge as a fuel: carbonization and ash leaching. Carbonization of fecal sludge did not improve fuel quality, but leaching showed promise in ash reduction.