Blog from the Environmental Engineering Research Group at SLU
Decentralised sanitation systems based on source separation and urine recycling can contribute much to the existing wastewater regime. Prithvi Simha and Bjorn VinnerÄs show how innovative technologies such as urine drying can improve the circularity of sanitation systems. Read the full article here: https://www.thesourcemagazine.org/the-disruptive-opportunity-for-mainstreaming-urine-recycling/
Check out our latest article, a collaboration with the Zifu Li group at USTB Beijing that was published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling:
Zhou, X., Simha, P., Perez-Mercado, L. F., Barton, M. A., Lyu, Y., Guo, S., … & Li, Z. (2022). China should focus beyond access to toilets to tap into the full potential of its Rural Toilet Revolution. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 178, 106100.
Abstract: In China, over 47 million toilets in rural areas have been upgraded since the nationwide sanitation program, popularly referred to as the âtoilet revolutionâ, was launched in 2015. However, little is known about the perceptions of rural households regarding these new toilets or the fate of human excreta collected using them. To investigate the other side of the toilet revolution, we surveyed 980 rural households from 22 provinces across China in 2020. We found that most households used an on-site sanitation system (i.e. septic tanks and pit latrines), where urine and feces were mixed and collected (88%), stored in pits or tanks (79%), emptied by the households themselves (60%), applied on farmland as fertilizer (45%), or used for biogas production (5%). Despite the toilet revolution-driven infrastructure upgrade, only 25% of the households were satisfied with their sanitation system and pointed to health risks from issues in the toilet interface and the treatment and reuse of excreta as areas of concern. The majority preferred an âout of sight, out of mindâ approach, in which the local government handles excreta without involving the households and without asking them to pay for such management. Meanwhile, 80% supported the idea of local nutrient recycling and believed that human excreta should return to farmland as fertilizer or used for biogas production. Our findings suggest that decision makers in local governments across China must urgently explore ways to upgrade all parts of the sanitation service chain so that rural sanitation can be truly improved to positively influence the progress on other national sustainability goals.
I vÄr senaste publikation om fluglarvskompostering med larven av den amerikanska vapenflugan (Hermetia illucens) undersökte vi effekten av förbehandling pÄ processeffektivitet och vÀxthusgasutslÀpp. Vi utvÀrderade fluglarvskompostering av broccoli- och blomkÄlsavskÀr och apelsinskal med och utan förbehandling och jÀmförde resultaten med matavfall som anvÀndes som kontroll. De förbehandlingar vi undersökte var en tvÄ veckors inokulering med svampen Trichoderma reesei eller ammoniaklösning. Hypotesen var att svamparna skulle bryta ner cellulosa och hemicellulosa till lÀttillgÀngliga kolhydrater, medan tanken med ammoniakförbehandlingen var att den bÄde skulle bryta cellstrukturen samt tillföra kvÀve till mikrobiotan som skulle kunna assimilera kvÀvet till protein.
In our latest publication on black soldier fly larvae (BSFL; Hermetia illucens) composting, we investigated the impact of pre-treatment on process efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. We evaluated BSFL composting of broccoli and cauliflower cuttings and orange peel with and without pre-treatment, and compared the results to those for food waste (control). The two pre-treatments we investigated were a 2 w inoculation with 1) the fungi Trichoderma reesei or 2) ammonia solution. The hypothesis was that the fungi would break down cellulose and hemicellulose to easily available carbohydrates, while the idea with the ammonia pre-treatment was that it would both break cellular structure and add nitrogen for the microbial community to assimilate into proteins.
Förra veckan fyllde vÄr huvudbyggnad MVM, som inhyser vÄra kontor laboratorier, 10 Är och vi firade alla tillsammans! MÄnga klipska hjÀrnor har passerat denna byggnad under de senaste 10 Ären, sÄ för att lÀra kÀnna nya och uppdatera sig pÄ vad de som för nÀrvarande jobbar hÀr, tog nÄgra av oss jubileet som ett tillfÀlle att presentera vÄra grupper för varandra. Det finns inget bÀttre Àn en promenad genom vÄr mÄngsidiga arbetsplats, efterföljt av en mycket god fika!
PÄ tal om fika: fluglarven hade sin egen version av svenskt fika, tvÄ lÄdor innehÄllande 10 000 larver vardera matades med (vegetarisk) hamburgare och rulltÄrta och vÄra kollegor kunde rösta pÄ menti.com vilken av de tvÄ mÄltiderna som skulle gÄ Ät först! Det var en jÀmn kamp, men till slut föredrog larven helt klart rulltÄrtan! Vem kan sÀga nej till lite lÀttillgÀngliga kolhydrater pÄ vintern!
Last week our main building MVM, which contains our offices and laboratories, turned 10 and we all celebrated together! Many bright brains have entered and left this building in the past 10 years, so to catch up with the current staff, some of us took the celebration as an opportunity to present their group to our fellow colleagues. Nothing better than a stroll through our diverse work place, with Fika and coffee afterwards!
Speaking of Fika: The fly larva had their own version of Swedish Fika, two boxes containing 10.000 larva each were fed (vegetarian) hamburgers and cake and our colleagues could vote on menti.com which of the two meals would be gone first! It was a tight race but in the end the larva clearly preferred the cake! Who can say no to some easily available carbs in winter!
Last week on 15th of November, Jenna Senecal and Anastasija Vasiljev gave a talk on urine research at the Baltic Sea Science Center in Stockholm. The topic of discussion was âFrom Fork to Farm and from Farm to Fork. How toilets are a part of this cycleâ. The audience consisted of around 20 high school teachers.
Together with another lecture done by Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, we felt that we made quite an impact and we hope that the teachers will feel inspired to share our technologies with their students.
If you want to know more about the Baltic Sea Science Center and what they do, click here.
And to see what SLU is doing regarding the center, click here.
Today is all about toilets! Can you imagine how your life would be without one? They are a part of our lives so much, that we don’t even think about their existence.
Unfortunately, that is not the case for more than 3.6 billion people. They lack access to safe sanitation and their lives without a toilet are dirty, dangerous and undignified. Public health greatly depends on the toilets, as well as the improvements in gender equality, education, economics, and the environment. Our sustainable future cannot happen without them!
Each of us will spend around a year of their lives using a toilet, so if you have one, thank it and give it some love!
If you want to know more about how we can use toilets to create more sustainable future, please free to check out some of our research:
Prithvi, Jenna and Björn from the urine drying research group were interviewed for SLUâs Urban Futures. We discussed how redirecting our urine from our wastewater to our agricultural fields can help to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and to have more sustainable agriculture. Read the article here.