This case study discusses a research and demonstration project for combined treatment of faecal sludge and organic solid waste for reuse in agriculture (pilot scale in urban area) in Kumasi, Ghana. The project treats 45 m³ of fecal sludge per month and it covers an area of ~500 m². The basic technology chosen for this project consists of two main process steps: faecal sludge drying on unplanted drying beds and windrows co-composting of dried faecal sludge (FS) and organic solid waste (oSW). Two unplanted drying beds were built with a surface area of 25 m2 each (to hold 15 m³ excreta with a depth of 30 cm). The compost has been tested for its impact on the germination capacity and early growth of selected vegetables commonly grown in the urban and peri-urban areas. It was estimated that the amount of compost produced from the pilot plant will be approx. 37 tons/year. A subsequent study valued the compost produced at the plant to be approximately 3.5 euros per 50-kg bag. The fact that this pilot plant has been operating for 7 years can be taken as a good sign for sustainability. However, for financial sustainability, external support or subsidies are needed. Total investment costs were about 16,500 euros. The supporting agencies were Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France, National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North South, Switzerland, KEZO, Switzerland (Waste Disposal Services Zurich Oberland (German name is: Zweckverband Kehrichtverwertung Zürcher Oberland).

Bibliographic information

Cofie, O., Koné, D. (2009). Co-composting of faecal sludge and organic solid waste Kumasi, Ghana Case study of sustainable sanitation projects Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA)

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Composting, vermicomposting (solid waste), composting toiletsFaecal sludge treatment processesFaeces or faecal sludgeUrban (entire city)Case studies in SuSanA templateEnglish

Related Countries

Ghana

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